Something Taken, Something Given
by dreamflyer1100
Summary: 21 year old Janet McCarthy is dead. Died in a plane crash to be exact. But now she's Ruri Yukihisa, 17 years old, alive and kicking. Thinking back on it, maybe she shouldn't have wished countless times to be born in another world. Because all of a sudden, she's getting a taste of real fear. It also doesn't help that she goes to school with Kaito KID.
1. A New Beginning

Chapter One

* * *

"Each person is an enigma. You're a puzzle not only to yourself, but to everyone else, and the great mystery of our time is how we penetrate the puzzle."

-Theodore Zeldin

* * *

It's definitely hard to live life the way you want to. Society makes it so that we simply dig our own graves, working towards our inevitable death. The people that challenge this norm; we call them crazy. Possibly the trash of society. The people that don't contribute. I never really noticed this until now, living my life as I wanted, watching anime and going to conventions... God plays cruel games with us sometimes. Lying here, in a pool of my blood, realizing that simple fact... Those are my last thoughts.

The first thing I realize is that it's unbearably bright and my throat feels oddly dry. It's cold and I swear I can feel my toes falling off. Aside from generally being really confused, where is this?

"Who's kid is this?" a voice asks.

"Does it matter? It's freezing! Bring it inside!" another obviously feminine voice tells the first.

All of a sudden, I feel myself being lifted and I can just imagine what I'll do to the smartass who's pulling this prank. Wait. I don't have friends, so WHAT IS GOING ON. I literally cannot be pranked. I have no friends.

Ok, ok, what's the last thing you remember, Janet? Um, I was on a plane. Going home from that convention in Georgia, right? Right. After that? I was on the plane...and then- wait. The captain said they had engine trouble and-

No. Nonononono no. I can't be dead. I was- I'm...I'm dead?

"Hurry up, dear, bring it here on the couch," the woman's voice tells the first voice.

Is this a married couple?

"Yes, yes, I know."

Huh. It's...getting pleasantly warm...I think...maybe I should sleep? Yeah... sleep sounds good...

* * *

"Ruri, dear!"

"Yes, mother?" a brown haired girl with bright blue eyes poked out from behind the wall. She looked to be about 5 years old.

"Are you ready for your first day of primary school?"

The girl smiled. "Yes, mother!"

In the absolute sense of the word, Ruri Yukihisa was a perfect little girl.

It had been 5 1/2 years since Janet McCarthy had found herself reincarnated in the body of a little girl. From an early age, she figured out she certainly wasn't in America anymore. She was most definitely in a dream. Was what she thought the first time she watched the news. Imagine turning on the T.V. and hearing about Phantom Thief KID's latest heist.

Her 3 year old self had literally screamed when she heard the name. When she came running into the living room where the T.V. was, she ran up to her room and locked herself in it for the next week. Which scared her adoptive parents (they hadn't actually told her yet, but when you kind of saw everything despite being an infant, it defeated the purpose of keeping it a secret).

When Janet had finally gotten over her initial shock, she made it a point to keep a diary in which she recorded all sorts of information she remembered from watching Detective Conan. No matter how trivial they seemed.


	2. Dreading High School (Again) Part 1

Chapter Two

* * *

 _Ok, hello everyone, I have a quick announcement to make. For the sake of keeping everything simple for me, I'm going to use the Japanese honorifics and name order (Surname, given). Also, some might have noticed that I changed the first chapter. Yes, I needed to, because it helps the plot and because before I wrote this chapter, I had no idea how I wanted this to go. And I kind of still don't. Also, I added in a little reference to a certain manga with Ruri's parent's names. Let me know if you think you got it, and I'll PM you if you did._

* * *

"I am a great admirer of mystery and magic. Look at this life - all mystery and magic."

-Harry Houdini

* * *

16 year old Ruri was pulling on her knee-high socks when she heard the ever familiar call of her mother.

"Ruri-chan! Time for breakfast!"

"Coming!" the brunette called back.

Trotting down the steps of their new home (which happened to be in Ekoda of all places), Ruri grabbed a piece of toast off her plate as she passed by her mother, Yukihisa Aki, a rather tall black haired woman, on her way out.

"You won't even eat with us?" her father, Yukihisa Tomoharu, called after her.

"I can't! I have to get to school early since I'm transferring." Ruri told him as she slipped on her shoes.

"Bye, mom! Bye, dad," she called and shut the door.

"I'm worried about that girl..." Aki told Tomoharu as she set down the plates on the table.

"Hmm..." Tomoharu gave a little hum as he sipped on the coffee his wife had prepared.

"She's never been that close to us... Sometimes I wonder if she knows..."

Aki glanced at a picture with the three of them.

A younger Ruri stood with the couple and was smiling, but gave no inclination to the wandering mind that she loved the two people embracing her. It was almost a smile of resignation. She cared for the couple, but...

Tomoharu followed her gaze and he smiled softly.

"Perhaps she does know. She's a bright girl, after all." he told Aki, setting his now empty coffee cup down.

"We'll just have to keep loving her just like we always have. She's our daughter, blood or no."

Aki smiled fondly at her husband.

"Somehow you always know just what to say, dear."

"Do I?"

* * *

"Ne, Kaito!" the ever familiar voice of Nakamori Aoko brought Kaito's thoughts to a screeching halt. Not hard to do when you're right next to his ear.

"What, Ahoko?" he asked, making a show of cleaning out the ear she had yelled in.

"We're getting a transfer student!"

Kaito blinked.

"After we just had the bastard detective?"

"I'm so sorry to hear you feel that way about me, Kuroba-kun," another familiar voice broke in.

"Hakuba," the magician grumbled.

"And?" he turned back to Aoko.

"What about this transfer student?"

Aoko practically turned into the sun with how bright she grinned.

"It's a girl!"

"A girl?"

Silence.

"That's it?"

Kaito watched his childhood friend shuffle awkwardly and nod.

"Why on Earth?" he simply stated.

"I believe it is because Nakamori-kun is wishing for another female friend," Hakuba told him, turning to Aoko.

Kaito looked at the girl.

"Really?"

"Alright, everyone! Into your seats!" called the teacher, silently praying she wasn't going to set off one of Kaito's tricks.

As Kaito lamented the fact that he hadn't been able to pull a prank, Aoko and Hakuba shuffled back to their desks.

"As I'm sure the majority of you know by now, we've got a transfer student coming in today," the teacher continued, visibly cringing as she spotted Kaito's slightly sour expression.

Turning to the door, she motioned for whoever was outside to come in.

* * *

 _Now, it was brought to my attention by a reviewer that I had placed Ruri in Ekoda. And oh my god am I sorry I mixed up the towns. When I was writing this, I was so pressed for time and I felt like something was off, but was too lazy to go and check _ I am so so so so sorry. Also, if anyone spots any inconsistencies, please let me know. Please._


	3. Dreading High School (Again) Part 2

Chapter Three

* * *

"Real laughter is spontaneous. Like water from the spring it bubbles forth a creation of mingled action and spontaneity - two magic potions in themselves - the very essence of laughter - the unrestrained emotion within us!"

-Douglas Fairbanks

* * *

"Hello everyone, I'm Yukihisa Ruri," Ruri gave a curt bow as she introduced herself.

Everyone had been rather stunned by her entrance earlier (Kaito had made a firecracker go off and it had startled her so badly she fell backwards and embarrassed herself). She was trying to keep the urge to turn red and run out of the classroom down, but was kind of failing miserably.

"Your seat will be behind Nakamori Aoko-san," the teacher motioned to where the girl was sitting.

Aoko (Ruri had instantly recognized her, among others such as Kaito himself and Hakuba Saguru) stood up and gave Ruri a kind smile.

When Ruri smiled back and began making her way to her, she almost fell again when she saw just how startling a blue her eyes really were. They really didn't do her justice in the show. Janet had always been jealous of the bright, colorful eyes she always saw.

* * *

Kaito had been very shocked to see the transfer student. Brown hair and bright blue eyes, just like the girls namesake: lapis lazuli. He had originally thought Aoko had been playing a prank but a quick scan of the classroom had dismissed that thought. Looking back at the girl confirmed it wasn't Aoko. Ruri was shorter and had shorter hair, shoulder-length that curled up a bit at the ends.

"And this is Kuroba Kaito, the jerk who pranked you earlier," Aoko's voice broke Kaito's train of thought and he looked up to see two familiar pairs of blue eyes.

Dipping into a deep bow, he poofed a blue rose into existence and handed it to the transfer student.

"I apologize for that little incident from earlier. I'm Kuroba Kaito, magician-in-training!" he introduced himself.

Ruri gasped as she viewed his little trick and gingerly took the proffered rose. "That's amazing!"

Kaito grinned. At least _someone_ knew how to appreciate his magic.

"Aoko-san was telling me how you were into magic, Kuroba-san," the girl told him, a warm smile gracing her lips.

 _She's really cute when she smiles,_ Kaito thought, feeling almost like he wanted to protect her. An odd feeling, for sure, since even Aoko never elicited such a strong protective instinct. _She's like one of my doves, or even like a hamster._

"Kaito?" Aoko's voice derailed his train of thought once more and he looked up at her worried face.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I was just wondering why you were so silent," she pouted. "If something's bothering you, tell me."

"Nothing, nothing," Kaito grinned and waved her off. "Has she met Hakuba, yet?"

"Not yet," the person in question called from behind the girls.

Ruri turned in mild surprise to find the blond behind her.

"Hello," she smiled, giving a slight curtsy.

"I see you know a bit of English etiquette?" the detective asked after a very gentlemanly bow.

"Just a bit. I heard you were from England, so I'm sorry for showing off a bit" Ruri replied, turning red ever so slightly. "Is it true you're a detective?"

Kaito could _see_ Hakuba puff out his chest when the girl asked him that.

"Yes, I am. Hakuba Saguru, one of the best detectives you'll ever meet, and very pleased to make your acquaintance," the detective offered his hand and Ruri shook it.

Ruri smiled again, giving a small and embarrassed giggle. "Gosh, all this bowing makes me feel a little awkward. It's like I'm a princess or something."

Hakuba smiled as he stood straight once more but his smile began to disappear. "You feel quite familiar, Yukihisa- _san._ "

"Ruri is fine," the girl frowned. "And I wouldn't understand why, seeing as we've never met before."

Hakuba looked even more confused at that comment but he let it drop.

As the bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period, Ruri turned to Kaito.

"Thank you for the rose, _mister magician_ ," she told him before heading back to her seat, leaving Kaito with a giddy and proud feeling in his chest.

* * *

Ruri was internally screaming by the time school had ended because she had NOT handled the situation well. She hadn't expected Aoko to approach her and introduce her to Kaito and Hakuba. She was currently berating herself for saying _mister magician_ to Kaito in flippin' ENGLISH no less. It wasn't a secret to her that he was KID but did she really have to go and do that?!

"Haaah..." she let out a deep sigh as she tucked her textbooks into her bag.

"Hey, Ruri-chan?"

Ruri looked up at Aoko who seemed to be fidgeting.

"Yes, Aoko-san?" the girl asked.

"I was wondering if you would like me to show you around this Sunday? Since you said you had just moved to Ekoda and all," Aoko looked at Ruri with hopeful eyes.

"Um, is that alright?" Ruri decided to take the girl up on her offer, after all, this WAS something she had been dreaming about ever since she (Janet) had gotten into anime.

"Of course!" Aoko gave a wonderful impression of a sunbeam as she positively glowed.

"Then is 2 ok?"

Ruri nodded.

"Do you want to meet at your house?" Aoko asked.

"Whatever works best for you," Ruri told her, politely.

"Your house it is then! Let's exchange mail addresses, ok?"

And that was how Ruri obtained her first friend.


	4. Sunday

Chapter Four

* * *

 _3 chapters in a single day? Guys, I'm on a roll!_

* * *

"Believe in love. Believe in magic. Hell, believe in Santa Clause. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. If you don't, who will?"

-Jon Bon Jovi

* * *

Sunday had come much more quickly than Ruri had expected, especially since most experiences told her that anything you waited for was going to feel like a long time. Her mother and father had been absolutely overjoyed when she told them she was going out that Sunday with a friend. Not surprising in the least. Ruri had never made friends since it always felt like she was intruding on a life she shouldn't have. A world she didn't belong in. That had only become more prominent when she had discovered she certainly wasn't in her own universe.

An hour later, she was dressed in casual clothes (courtesy of her grandmother who ironically had the most fashion sense in the entire family) that consisted of a short deep blue skirt and black leggings, a blouse with a large flower print, and a pair of beige mid calf boots.

Walking everywhere certainly kept you in shape, Ruri noticed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"Ruri-chan! Your friends are here!" Her mother called from the bottom of the stairs.

Friends. Plural?

As she made her way to the door, her heart almost stopped when she saw not only Aoko, but Kaito and Hakuba standing in her doorway.

Aki was holding a pretty white rose and looked absolutely charmed.

Tomoharu, however, looked like he was silently plotting the best way to kill someone and hide the body.

Ruri glanced at her mother and was awarded a look that pretty much said "Good Job!"

She sighed and threw a goodbye to her parents as she herded her "friends" out the door.

"Just taking a wild guess, but, did Kuroba-san give my mother that rose?" she asked, once they were far enough away.

Aoko nodded.

Ruri glanced up at Kaito. Despite his best efforts to look nonchalant, she could tell he was shaken.

Ok then.

"So where did you want to go?" Aoko asked, doing her best to direct their thoughts somewhere else.

"Before that," Ruri stopped walking and turned to look pointedly at Hakuba and Kaito.

"Oh, uh, well, Kaito caught me leaving my house and wanted to tag along," Aoko explained.

Ruri turned her gaze solely to Hakuba.

"I asked if you didn't mind me tagging along on Friday," he smiled. "You said you didn't."

Ruri nodded and continued walking.

Clearing her throat, Aoko glanced at Ruri.

"Where would you like to go?"

Ruri tilted her head to one side to think and almost instantly blurted out, "How about a mall?"

* * *

Kaito was looking on his tablet at his newest target (a gem called the Cyan Tear) when he spotted Ruri coming out of a small anime store. He knew they had all split up when they had entered the mall but he thought Ruri had stuck with Aoko.

 _How cute,_ he caught himself thinking when she smiled fondly at the little trinket she had bought.

It looked like a keychain?

* * *

Ruri had felt her heart stop when she had spotted the anime store from halfway across the mall where she and Aoko had been trying on clothes. She had run over to the other girl and told her she was going to the bathroom for a bit and had pretty much sprinted the entire way to the store before collecting herself and managing not to run into someone.

She had spotted a cute little keychain that was only 200 yen and looked obscure enough that someone might not be able to get where it was from. It was a little purple rabbit with pink eyes and a big pink ribbon on one ear. She had bought it and was currently standing right outside the store, staring at it.

"I didn't know you like anime," a familiar voice made Ruri's blood run cold.


	5. A Friend

Chapter Five

* * *

"I believe that life is chaotic, a jumble of accidents, ambitions, misconceptions, bold intentions, lazy happenstances, and unintended consequences, yet I also believe that there are connections that illuminate our world, revealing its endless mystery and wonder."

-David Moranis

* * *

"I didn't know you liked anime," an all too familiar voice rang in Ruri's ears.

Turning around and possibly giving herself whiplash, Ruri came face-to-face with one of her 2nd childhood's nightmare.

Takenaka Shuu, a tall and rather gangly teenager, was standing in front of Ruri with a group of his friends and some girls who looked about as sleazy as he did.

"Shuu," Ruri managed to choke out.

"Oi, oi, no 'hello'? No 'how have you been doing'?" the teen sneered as he watched Ruri turn pale.

"H-how have you been doing?" Ruri wanted to smack herself for sounding and acting like a pansy.

"I've been doing great! I've got friends, money, and purdy ladies!" Shuu made a show of putting both his arms around a couple of girls and they giggled when he pecked them on the cheeks.

"How about you, freak?"

Ruri flinched.

Janet had suffered the same bullying in America when other kids found out she was watching "Asian cartoons". She wasn't a stranger to the word "freak" and yet, it hurt more than she had wanted it to.

"I-I've been doing ok," she mumbled.

"Ah? How am I supposed to hear when you talk to the floor, otaku?"

"Ruri-chan?"

Ruri looked around Shuu and spotted Aoko looked right at them.

"A-Aoko-san!"

As soon as Aoko managed to piece everything together (a group of sleazy teens who looked like they were cornering Ruri) she stormed over to Shuu and stood between him and Ruri.

"Did you need something from Ruri-chan?" she demanded, hands on hips and looking ready to beat him with a mop.

"Iya~ I just knew 'Ruri-chan' back from our primary school days and when I saw her, I wanted to say hello," Shuu snickered as if laughing at a private joke.

"Ne~ Shuu~ I'm hungry~!" one of the girls around his arms snuggled closer to him as she drew out each last syllable.

"Hai, hai," he told the girl and squeezed her hip.

"I guess we'll be seeing you **_later,_** huh, Ruri-chan?" Shuu sneered at Ruri again and began walking away from the pair of girls.

* * *

Kaito had been ready to jump in at the right time but all thoughts of that had been erased from his mind when he saw Aoko storm up to the host-wannabe. It was actually really funny to see her walk right up to the teen and (attempt to) stare him down. He watched from afar as Ruri just stared at the floor and Aoko watched Shuu and his friends laugh and leave her view. She was rubbing one arm and looked very uncomfortable.

* * *

"Ruri-chan?" Aoko's voice made Ruri feel calm as she felt the other girl place a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes?" Ruri asked, looking up and into a pair of worried blue orbs.

"Who were those guys?"

Ruri looked down again.

"It's like he said. We went to the same primary school together."

"But it's not all that, is it."

Damn. Ruri forgot how sharp Aoko could be.

"It's nothing I can't handle," the girl told Aoko, pulling away from her grip.

Aoko looked quite skeptical as she watched Ruri pull away, but didn't say anything.

 _I don't blame her for looking at me like that. I look like I couldn't tackle a clown even if I tried,_ Ruri thought.

"Nakamori-kun? Ruri-kun?"

Ruri silently thanked whatever God might exist in this fictional world when she heard Hakuba's overly polite voice.

"Hakuba-san," Ruri looked up at him with blue eyes full of absolute thankfulness.

Hakuba, being late to the party, simply looked confused.

Just as he was going to open his mouth, a scream resounded throughout the mall.

" _Dammit,"_ Ruri swore in English.

* * *

 _Hello, author's note again. AHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING A NEW CHARACTER WERE YOU. Even I thought it was going to be Kaito. This is what happens when I eat 6 macaroons, smoked salmon, and barbeque pork fried rice before going to bed. Well, I have to thank Grace F for pointing out some things (mainly the Ekoda/Beika mess-up) and I sincerely apologize for that. Thank anyone and everyone who reviewed this. It keeps me going. And thank you Grace F for your constructive criticism._

 _-Thank you Grace F for your lovely review. Now, since the story is still in its early stages (and I have like, no idea where I want this to go) I might make a couple of changes to Ruri's character. I'm actually still debating whether or not I want Ruri to be a highschool detective or if I should just make her like early Conan. Pushing people in the right direction by dropping hints. As for her new 16 years of life, I want to make Ruri a bit of a mystery. Even I don't know what happened those 16 years, and I want to be as surprised as any of the readers when something is revealed. The only problem is that things may get a little triggering, so. Currently, I have several things as a constant in Ruri's character. She was reincarnated. She knows several languages (mainly English, Japanese, Russian, French, and some German). She's a surprisingly (?) good actress. She can play piano and violin._

 _NEXT CHAPTER WE WILL HAVE A MURDER MYSTERY! YAY! Ok, no not really. I have no idea how to make a murder. If anyone has any ideas, please tell me. I need ideas. I need them so badly._


	6. A Stressful First Murder

Chapter Six

* * *

"It is the dim haze of mystery that adds enchantment to pursuit."

-Antoine Rivarol

* * *

Hakuba was already at the scene when Ruri and Aoko had come rushing to the source of the scream. The victim was a dark haired man who looked to be in his mid-20s.

"Ruri-san! Aoko-kun!"

The girls looked around and quickly spotted the blond Brit waving.

A crowd had quickly formed and they had to wade through the expanse of humans to even begin making their way to Hakuba.

"What happened, Hakuba-san?" Ruri asked, once they managed to get to him.

"A man collapsed in front of this café earlier," Hakuba explained, watching the police with interest.

"Who called the police?"

"Someone from the man's party."

Aoko was looking down at the ground with an interest that suggested she wasn't comfortable hearing about dead bodies and such.

"You said he collapsed?" Ruri inquired.

"Ah! Saguru-kun!"

Ruri took a moment to let the voice sink in and slowly looked at the owner.

Sure enough, Megure-keibu was standing just a few feet away. Upon spotting the high school detective, however, he began to walk towards the teens.

"Keibu," Hakuba greeted.

"Hello, Saguru-kun. I suppose I should've expected someone like you to be here," the inspector gave a wry laugh but stopped when he noticed Ruri.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"This is Yukihisa Ruri-san. We are in the same class," the blond gestured to the aforementioned girl and Ruri began to feel nervous.

"Hello, keibu-san. It's a pleasure," she gave a small smile, bowed, and silently prayed she didn't look weird or anything.

"It's a pleasure as well, Ruri-kun," the inspector looked pleased with the girl's politeness.

Ruri nodded and looked past Megure to see a woman, looking to be about the same age as the victim, rummaging around in her purse. She looked like she was in a hurry and she had an almost grimace on her face.

"Do you mind if I take a look at the body, keibu?" Hakuba asked, bringing Ruri's attention back to him and the older man.

"Of course not. Go ahead. Though I'm sure even if I said no, you'd do it anyway," Megure sighed a little bit at that last part.

"Ano, Hakuba-san?" Hakuba turned to face Ruri.

"You said he collapsed, but you've been referring to him as a 'body'. Did he die?"

"Oh, yes. The man collapsed and apparently hit his head on the corner of a trash can," Hakuba looked like he was already in deep thought when he finished his sentence.

"Do you mind if I watch you?"

The question broke through Hakuba's train of thought, and he looked down at the girl in shock.

"Ah, well, I always admired your skills and I wanted to see you in action," she quickly explained.

Hakuba was silent for a moment more before nodding. "Alright."

xxXxx

The first thing Hakuba did was investigate the body. The man was one Kinoshita Yoichi, 22 years old and a University student. He was of average build, with muscles in a few of the right places. His hair was a black that looked kind of blue in the right lighting.

"According to his ex-girlfriend, he was a nice man who liked to learn."

Hakuba had been jotting down notes the entire time Ruri had been watching him and he had just now finished speaking with Kinoshita's ex, a woman named Fujioka Kiku who was 24 years of age and seemed like a nice lady overall.

"Yoichi had just gotten done with his exams and we all wanted to go out to celebrate. The thing was, he didn't want to go out drinking, so we came here, instead," Yoshinari Atsushi had said when Hakuba interviewed him.

Atsushi was a short man with dyed blond hair and a bright personality. Ruri decided he reminded her a bit of Kaito.

The woman who Ruri had seen rummaging around in her purse was Yoichi's current girlfriend, one Matsuoka Minami.

She was 30 years old and a doctor's assistant. She was a bit on the plain side, but Ruri thought she was very pretty.

 _But why would Yoichi have both his ex and his current girlfriend in the same place? That seems like he was asking for trouble._

As Ruri tossed ideas and theories around in her head, Hakuba was talking with Minami who seemed rather unperturbed at the sight of her boyfriend dead and on the ground.

Just as Hakuba was about to ask if they had any problems in their relationship, Ruri rushed over to the detective and woman.

"Do you mind if I take a look inside your purse?"

Minami at first refused, but with a quick reassurance that Ruri wasn't going to do much, she agreed and reluctantly handed the girl her bag.

"What are you doing, Ruri-san?" Hakuba asked, watching with a slightly confused expression as the girl pulled out things with her gloved hands.

When he didn't get an answer, he shrugged and went back to the body to inspect it once more.

On his second round of inspecting, he noticed something off. The man had been wearing shorts and Hakuba momentarily berated himself for not noticing sooner.

"There's an injection site on his upper thigh."

Ruri's head snapped up when she heard those words.

She rushed over to Hakuba and crouched over the body.

"Where?" she asked.

Hakuba showed her Yoichi's right leg.

Just as he had said, a small hole was there.

"He was murdered."

Ruri ran back to Minami's purse and shuffled through the contents.

What she found didn't surprise her as much as it should have.

xxXxx

"Hakuba-san, do you know what this is?" Ruri was holding up an odd cylindrical contraption.

"An insulin pen?"

Ruri nodded.

"This is our murder weapon."

Hakuba looked at her with skepticism.

"Matsuoka-san did it?"

"I don't know that yet," Ruri shook her head and looked down at the body.

"But I am absolutely 100% certain this is the murder weapon."

xxXxx

"Matsuoka-san, do you have diabetes?" Ruri inquired, holding up the insulin pen.

The woman shook her head. "No, I do not."

Ruri's eyebrows scrunched together.

"But I carry around an insulin pen because of my habits."

This only succeeded in making Ruri's eyebrows scrunch together even more.

"I am a doctor's assistant. We work with diabetics so I am required to carry around an insulin pen in case of an emergency. It carried onto my personal life because I made it into a habit to carry around the pen wherever I go."

The eyebrows were suddenly freed of their muscle-y bindings.

"I see," the girl said.

She then turned on her heel and left.

* * *

 _So how you like dem apples? I made this chapter extra long since I'm going away for a week and won't be updating for a while. I might update after next Sunday, but that's only if I have the time. Thanks to JarayZ for the idea! I wanted to do the poison mechanical pencil thing but I ran into so many road blocks with that... I'm so sorry! I promise I'll do the mechanical pencil murder in the future! Next chapter I will reveal the murderer! (I can't believe I wrote more than 1000 words!)_


	7. The Resolution to the First Murder

Chapter Seven

* * *

 _Hello! Now, the first few paragraphs were written when I was still on vacation in San Diego (it was great but I wasn't able to go to AX; unfortunately it started on my last day there and I didn't realize it was going on until the day was done! Little Tokyo was great tho TAT) and the latter paragraphs were written after I had gotten back. Regarding the reason why this chapter took so long to come out, it was because about halfway through writing it, I realized that I didn't like how it was coming out, and began writing it over and over again (all while in San Diego). It took me until the last day of my trip before I finally managed to like how it was coming and began successfully writing it._

* * *

 _It's only in love and in murder that we still remain sincere.  
_

 _ _-FRIEDRICH DÜRRENMATT, Incident at Twilight__

* * *

"I need more evidence..." Ruri mumbled to herself.

Hakuba, who was standing next to her, raised an eyebrow.

Blood on the bathroom wall. No sign of a struggle there. The testimonies from Yoichi's friends. Sweating, confusion, and trembling hands they all said. After he came from the bathroom. Those were all the clues that they had.

 _Am I missing something?_ she thought to herself.

* * *

"When did you notice something was off?" Ruri asked.

Atsushi's brow furrowed a bit.

"Around...the time when he came back from the bathroom."

"Did anything happen in the bathroom?" Hakuba asked, cutting into the conversation.

"Well...I went in the bathroom to...y'know, and heard a few groans from one of the stalls."

"Groans?"

"Un. I don't think there was anyone else inside, so it must've been him." Atsushi began to sweat nervously and tugged a bit on his hair.

 _Why is he exhibiting signs of someone lying?"_ Ruri fiddled with the hem of the shirt she was wearing, a thing she did when she began to think really hard even when she was still Janet.

 _If he's lying then he's bound to slip up somewhere._

"So why were you here today?" Ruri looked directly into Atsushi's eyes and even though the question had already been answered, Ruri wanted to hear it again.

"W-Well, exams had just ended and we wanted to just, y'know, party."

He avoided the eye contact.

"But why at the mall? There are no bars here," Ruri prodded a little more.

"Yo-chin didn't want to get wasted since he said he had to work tomorrow so we compromised and came here."

Ruri looked at Hakuba who was busy scribbling in his little notebook.

* * *

"Ano, onee-chan?"

A voice startled Ruri out of her thoughts and she looked down to see a familiar little boy with dark hair and enormous glasses.

Before she even realized what she had done, Ruri was several paces away from the boy and on her bottom.

"Ah-Ah-" she managed, pointing in the offender's direction.

"Onee-chan?" Conan's face was creased with childish worry.

"Ruri-chan?"

Looking up, Ruri came face to face with Aoko.

"What's wrong?"

Her friend was looking at her with surprise.

"I-uh, nothing, Aoko-san," Ruri jumped to her feet and gave a quick smile.

"Conan-kun!"

Ruri turned to see Ran pushing through the crowd to get to her small charge.

As she approached the two girls however, Ran's visible worry slowly turned into shock.

"Conan-kun! What were you doing?!" she demanded, making Conan flinch away.

'Ano, he didn't do anything..." Ruri offered.

She knew full well what Shinichi's childhood friend was capable of.

Ran turned to Ruri and to Ruri's shock, bowed low.

"I am so SO sorry!"

"Um, it's alright...er..." Ruri paused deliberately to give the effect that she didn't know who she was speaking to.

"Mouri Ran. A pleasure to meet you," Ran rose to her full height (which was irkingly much taller than Ruri) and gave a sincere smile.

"Ah! You're Sleeping Kogorou's daughter!" Ruri feigned a look of shocked recognition.

"Oh! You know Otou-san?" Ran looked decidedly shocked.

"Do I! I've read all about all of his cases!" Ruri decided she would go with the "fangirl" approach.

"Oh! That's right!" Ruri remembered that Conan had wanted to talk to her.

She crouched down so that she was eye-level with the shrunken teen detective.

"Did you need something?" Ruri asked politely.

"I just wanted to tell you that I saw that onii-chan in the bathroom!"

 _Eh?_

"R-Really?" Ruri was shocked.

"Un! He was holding something in his hand and it looked like a pen!"

"A pen...?"

She pulled the insulin pen (already bagged) out of her pocket and showed it to the boy.

"Did it look like this?"

Conan looked at the pen and then said, "Yes."

 _So..._ _the main suspect is Atsushi-san?_

"Also, that dead onii-chan wasn't in a stall!"

"Eh?"

"He was fighting with the other onii-chan!"

"Fighting?"

"Un."

"Do you know what about?"

"A girl!"

 _A girl? One of the women who were with them?_

"Did you catch a name?" Ruri was finally feeling like everything was coming together. All of the pieces were aligning.

"Kiku, I think," Conan told her.

"Tell me everything you heard," Ruri told him.

* * *

"Eh?! You know who the killer is?!" Megure-keibu eyes practically bulged.

"Hai." Ruri glanced over at Conan who was looking very much like his older self.

"But first, I have to tell you what really happened in that bathroom."

* * *

Yoshinari Atsushi shoved his friend, Kinoshita Yoichi, into the wall of the bathroom where Yoichi hit his head and left a small bloody streak.

"Why does she only talk about YOU?!" Atsushi yelled, thrusting his left hand down and jamming the pen's point into Yoichi's right thigh.

Yoichi didn't say a word. He simply gazed sadly at his once most trusted friend.

"Don't look at me like that..." Atsushi mumbled.

"You. You were the one that asked for all this. You were the one who did this to me. You're the reason why I'm never good enough!"

Atsushi screamed at him, Yoichi never flinching.

"You were always so perfect. Perfect grades. Perfect life. Perfect everything!"

Yoichi didn't waver, continuing to look sadly at his friend.

"Everything was great. Until Kiku went for you! The one thing that I wanted! Even that! Even that you took!"

Atsushi pushed the plunger at the top of pen and injected the insulin.

"Even after you two broke up. Even after I consoled her. Kiku still talked about you. Admired you. It was all she ever did."

His eyes began to water.

"Even after I confessed, it was still all about you. Even after you began dating Minami-chan, she still wouldn't give up."

He pulled the pen out.

Atsushi slowly began walking away. As he was turning the handle to the bathroom door, a soft "I'm sorry" went unheard by the young man and he was gone.

* * *

"What about the pen? How did he get that?" Megure-keibu asked the teen girl.

Hakuba looked to Ruri.

"He stole the insulin pen from Minami-san when all four were in the restaurant. According to her, she noticed it was missing after Yoichi-san's death and the last time she had checked for it, and still had it, was right after she came from the restroom, and before Atsushi reportedly flirted with her. The only person who was ever close enough to steal the pen, besides Yoichi-san, was Atsushi-san."

"You..." Kiku looked at Atsushi in horror.

"You killed him...YOU KILLED YOICHI!"

"I did it for you!" Atsushi said, trying to smile.

He stepped towards the young woman.

"NO!" she screamed. "DON'T COME NEAR ME YOU MURDERER!"

"Kiku...chan?" the young man looked shocked.

"Arrest him," Megure-keibu told his officers. A confession was all he needed .

As his hands were pulled behind his back and handcuffed together, Atsushi looked at his love.

"I did it for us..."

* * *

A shadowed figure watched from above as the man known as Yoshinari Atsushi was taken away in handcuffs.

"It seems we have another detective brat to watch," the figure hissed into a cell phone.

* * *

 _I wasn't expecting Conan to show up... it must be why there was a murder. But why would he come to me? Hakuba has met him before so why wouldn't he go to someone he already knew?_

"Ruri-chan!"

"Hai?" Ruri was shaken out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry today had to be ruined by all that!" Aoko had clapped her hands together in an attempt at forgiveness.

"It's quite alright, Aoko-san," Ruri smiled. "I'm just glad we managed to catch him."

"That's true. You did quite well for someone who's never done detective work, Ruri-san," Hakuba gave Ruri a smile.

"Geez, it sounds like I missed a lot!" Kaito shook his head.

"It's not our fault you ate something bad and had to stay in the bathroom for the entire day!" Aoko frowned.

 _I doubt he was even in the bathroom..._ Ruri thought, watching as Kaito and Aoko began to bicker.

* * *

 _Boop. Conan has made his debut! I actually didn't intend to put him in until much later but...well...somehow it turned out like this. I'm also really sorry and there are probably a lot of inconsistencies and things that don't add up, so if anyone spots anything, I will fix them as quickly as possible! Next time, Ruri will go to her first Kaitou KID heist! This isn't my best work by a long shot, but I hope it's still ok!_

 _THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO READS THIS AND DFTBA YOU WONDERFUL, LOVELY HUMAN BEINGS, YOU!_

 _(Also thank you JarayZ for spotting an inconsistency!)_


	8. The Invitation

Chapter Eight

* * *

"If there is one realm in which it is essential to be sublime, it is in wickedness. You spit on a petty thief, but you can't deny a kind of respect for the great criminal."

-Denis Diderot

* * *

In a dark room, a cloaked figure stood above a boiling concoction. A face began to appear in the liquid as the bubbles receded. The face belonged to Ruri, smiling and laughing.

"From far away you come.

A different place you lived before.

Another chance at the game.

Two blue jewels see all

Where will the dice fall?"

* * *

"You...want me to go to the museum with you?"

Ruri blinked once and then a second time as Hakuba nodded.

She had just arrived in the classroom, about half an hour early, when the teenage detective had come up to her and asked if she was free two weeks from now to go to the museum with him.

"Aoko-san suggested that when I mentioned to her that KID has sent another heist notice."

Ruri blinked again.

 _I get to go to a KID heist? Me?_

"Um, I don't really know what to say, honestly," she mumbled, trying to get over the shock. "Why me?"

"Well..." Hakuba seemed to shuffle a bit. "I thought it might be nice to...get to know one another."

"During a heist hosted by an internationally wanted criminal?" Ruri raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"She is right, _Meitantei-san._ Normally, you take a girl to a restaurant or somewhere romantic," Kaito was suddenly on Ruri's desk, looking to be without a care in the world.

"I never said I wouldn't like to go," Ruri interjected. "I've always enjoyed things like magic shows."

"Really? You should've said something, Ruri-chan! I'm always willing to show you my magical talent!" Kaito grinned like a cat and gave Ruri a little daisy that seemingly poofed into existence by way of a cloud of blue smoke and glitter.

Ruri gently took the flower and smiled a little.

 _The daisy represents innocence._

The tranquil of Ruri's thoughts were broken by a loud clamoring in front of the door.

"What's going on?" she asked to no one in particular.

"It seems Akako is back," Kaito grimaced.

"Akako?" Ruri asked.

"Oh right, you haven't met her. Well, she's coming over, so here's your chance."

Ruri's first impression of Akako went something along the lines of, _Wow she is the prettiest girl I have EVER seen._

"Ara. It seems we have a new student," the red witch smiled as she noticed Ruri.

Ruri gave a quick bow. "I-It's nice to meet you, Akako-san."

Akako gave a smile that made Ruri's brain turn into mush.

 _It seems like her charisma affects not only boys, but me as well._

"It's nice to meet you as well, Yukihisa-san," Akako smiled again.

"U-Un," Ruri managed.

Akako suddenly turned towards Kaito.

"Kuroba-kun, I need to speak with you."

Kaito's forehead wrinkled a bit.

"I'll be back in a sec." He paused. "If I'm not back by the time class begins, assume I'm dead."

He followed Akako out of the room and to the rooftop where there were less likely to be interrupted.

"I wonder what she has to talk to him about," Hakuba wondered out loud.

* * *

Kaito was most definitely not thrilled when Akako had told him she needed to talk to him.

"So how are you, Akako?" he asked, trying to keep his Poker Face on. "Where have you been these past few days?"

"I've been occupied with some things. In any case, beware of your next target, magician."

Kaito twitched.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he shrugged.

"Lucifer has made a prophecy."

Kaito made a noncommittal noise.

"The sacrifice Mimir demanded of Odin

Shall be taken by the great Jörmungandr

And the white cloaked Loki shall lose his prize

But gain a friend in the one who truly belongs."

"And what, ojou-san, is that supposed to mean?" Kaito looked at Akako.

Akako simply smiled.

"I suppose we will all eventually find out."

* * *

"So this is the heist note?"

Ruri was looking down at a little card that was currently residing in a plastic bag.

"Why do we have to have more detective brats hanging around?" Nakamori-keibu grumbled.

Ruri turned to the inspector.

"I'm terribly sorry for intruding like this," she bowed to the older man.

He grunted but didn't make any more remarks.

"It doesn't seem all that cryptic for someone like KID..."

Ruri turned to look at Hakuba who was also inspecting the note.

 _Something's wrong here,_ Ruri thought to herself.

The note was short and included KID's signature doodle but it didn't seem right somehow.

"When the full moon rises high in the sky on the day of the Harvest

I, Kaitou KID, shall help myself to The Eye of Odin.

-KID"

"Well, I don't think it'll be much of a problem even if he does succeed in taking it," an elderly voice croaked.

Ruri turned to see a kind old lady speaking with Nakamori-keibu.

She was petite and she looked like she had aged quite nicely.

As soon as the old lady had noticed Ruri, she smiled and slowly hobbled over.

"Are you the little detective who's going to try and protect my garnet?"

Ruri did a double-take.

"Garnet, obaa-sama?" she asked.

"Yes, that's right. My grandfather found it while he was in America and brought it back here to be cut," the old woman smiled. "That's it over there."

Ruri walked over to the display case the garnet was in.

It was the size of an eyeball and cut in a round fashion. It was a large uvarovite garnet.

"A...green garnet?" she asked.

Hakuba, who was also interested, had come over as well.

"It seems it's the largest uvarovite garnet to ever be cut. It's known as The Eye of Odin," he explained. "The uvarovite garnet is one of the rarest types of garnet and is a brilliant deep green."

Ruri nodded.

 _I can't even begin to imagine how Kaito can pull of these sorts of things..._

* * *

 _Akako has made her big debut! I only realized last chapter that I completely forgot about her! So, here she is! I can't wait to write her laugh! I always found it entertaining. It seems a lot of the characters are getting their debuts now, huh? XP This chapter is only the introduction to the heist, but probably within the next two chapters, we'll see the beginning of the heist! I also have a picture of Ruri posted on my deviantart, so, if you want a better idea of what she looks like, you can go there! Just go to deviantart and type in dreamflyer1100 and the picture is titled Ruri Yukihisa so it won't be all that hard to find (I hope)._

 _The ribbon in her hair is something that will be added to her character in this heist!_

 _(I've also got a few others that I've doodled, so if anyone wants to see them, I'll be happy to put them up on my devianart and send you a link! I've got one that is relevant to the plot and won't go up until we've gotten to where it's needed, so that's the only one that will go up for sure, whether anyone likes it or not)_


	9. First Heist

Chapter Nine

* * *

"Tomorrow is a thief of pleasure."

-Rex Harrison

* * *

The Eye of Odin sat comfortably on a cushion inside the display case where it was surrounded by the KID task force members.

"Obviously, the heist is going to take place tonight at midnight...but...there's nothing else. Just those two lines..."

Ruri was currently brooding over the fact that KID's note was beginning to look very much like a fake. Hakuba had tentatively agreed and they both thought they would think on it.

 _The only thing that really bothers me is that there are already two things that don't line up with the original show. Has my presence somehow messed with the plot?_

"Ah! Ruri-chan! Hakuba-kun!" a familiar voice rang through the rather empty room.

Ruri looked up and saw Aoko waving at them with Kaito trailing behind her, looking around the room. The girl was carrying a box wrapped in a dark green cloth.

"Did you come to see your father?" Ruri asked when they were close enough.

"Eh? How'd you know?" Aoko asked, looking both shocked and awed.

"Well, you're carrying a bento that doesn't seem to belong to a girl or a boy. More like an older man," Ruri smiled and pointed at the wrapped box. "It doesn't seem like it was meant for any of the officers since they didn't really react when you came in."

"Aoko!"

And there was Nakamori-keibu, right on cue.

"Not to mention both you and Nakamori-keibu have the same names," Ruri finished right as the inspector came up to them.

"What are you and Kaito-kun doing here?" Nakamori-keibu asked.

"Mou, otou-san! You forgot your dinner at home!" Aoko looked at her father and pouted a bit as she held out the wrapped box.

"And I just wanted to tag along!" Kaito grinned.

 _Or maybe get a head start,_ Ruri thought, smiling and shaking her head.

"Hmph, what is Kuroba-san doing here?" Hakuba came up behind Ruri.

Kaito stuck his tongue out. "Obviously not here to see you, baaaaka."

All of a sudden, he directed his attention to Nakamori-keibu.

"Ah. Nakamori-san, your tie is crooked," Kaito took a step forward and readjusted the tie.

"Oh, thank you, Kaito-kun," the inspector looked a bit embarrassed. "I must've ruffled it a bit while getting ready."

Kaito straightened up and grinned. "No problem at all."

"Well, now that we've made our delivery, Kaito and I are going to head out now," Aoko smiled at Ruri and Hakuba. "I hope you catch that petty thief!"

"U-Un," Ruri replied, giving a strained smile. _I'd like to avoid that, though._

" _Bye bye,_ Ruri-chan!" Kaito gave Ruri a pat on the shoulder and was soon following Aoko out of the building.

As soon as the pair had left, Ruri grazed the spot where Kaito had patted her, and sure enough, he had planted a bug.

She gave an inward sigh.

"Oh, Ruri-san, do you mind if I look at your shoulder?" Hakuba asked, startling Ruri.

Gripping the bug and shoving it into her pocket, she nodded.

 _Hakuba is definitely committed to the idea Kaito is KID...he's not wrong, unfortunately,_ Ruri thought as the Brit inspected her shoulder.

"Ok, you're clean," he eventually said, standing back.

"Clean?" Ruri asked, simply for effect.

"Well," Hakuba paused and leaned in. "It is of my personal belief that Kuroba Kaito is Kaitou KID."

Ruri blinked, looking stunned.

She started to giggle and then soon it was full-on laughter.

"Kaito-san? No way!" she said, wiping away tears. "He may be a magician and have the athletic ability, but he isn't serious enough!"

 _That would normally be true, aside from the fact that he's stubborn and has the determination to do anything._

Hakuba straightened up and pouted a bit.

"I thought maybe you would agree with me," he mumbled.

Unknown to Ruri, he gave a little sincere smile.

 _At least I don't have to worry about her being an enemy, yet,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

"5 minutes to midnight!" a task force member yelled.

Since she had determined that the note was indeed a fake (she had decided to keep this information to herself for the time being), Ruri was beginning to feel paranoid. The old woman didn't strike her as the type to put out a fake note, so Ruri was almost 100% certain the Black Organization (or more specifically, Snake) was behind this. She had also placed the bug Kaito had originally planted on her shoulder on the collar of her blouse. Better safe than sorry, she reasoned.

"No one gets hurt," Ruri mumbled to herself.

She had been saying that for the past hour or so when she had determined the note had been sent by the organization and not KID. Somewhere inside, she believed that if she repeated that, she wouldn't die.

"3 minutes!"

"No one gets hurt."

"2 minutes!"

"No one gets hurt."

"1 minute!"

Everyone tensed up considerably.

"No one gets hurt."

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

 _No one gets hurt._

With a click, the power was out.

* * *

 _Short chapter, I know, but I thought this would be a good place to end. I honestly wasn't expecting to write this until tomorrow, but I had a sudden inspiration and thus, this was born!_

 _THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO READS THIS AND DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	10. Not A Moment Too Late

Chapter Ten

* * *

 _Hi hi! Now in this chapter, we get to see a little bit of Janet come out in Ruri. I had actually already planned out Janet's history but never really got a chance to use it, so here's a bit of briefing. At the age of 5, Janet took martial art classes but quit 2 years later. At the age of 10, she found anime and fell in love. Ever since then, she hasn't really done much in her life besides read (books in general) and watch anime. She's well-versed in mythology (as that's something I'm also well-versed in) and has an odd love for architecture._

* * *

"I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say. A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you."

-Roy Orbison

* * *

With a click, the lights were off and the heist had officially started. Within moments, the task force were rushing to get to the display case. But before they could even get close, a spotlight was turned on and angled at the display case.

And there he was, in all his glory, Kaitou KID, standing on the case, The Eye of Odin in hand.

"How is everyone this fine night?" he asked, taking a bow.

"Damn you, KID!" Nakamori-keibu yelled.

"Ah, ah, keibu-san. I greeted you properly so you should greet me as well," KID grinned.

His gaze (or whatever, Ruri couldn't really tell thanks to the monocle) shifted to where Ruri and Hakuba stood.

"It seems we have a new guest tonight," KID hopped off the case and by some miraculous feat, disappeared in a poof of pink smoke and stars.

Ruri felt her hand being lifted and realized she was facing KID.

He brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it.

"Nice to meet you, ojou-san," he smiled.

"Ah- d-domo," Ruri stuttered.

Spinning around, KID turned to face the task force members.

"Dewa, seeing as time is running short, and I have other matters to attend to, I shall be taking my leave."

And with another poof of smoke, the thief was gone.

"Hurry up and find him!" Nakamori-keibu yelled, making his officers scramble.

Sighing and turning to one of the windows, the inspector did a double take and ran after his officers.

"He's outside!" Ruri heard him yell.

She glanced out, and what she saw was KID's floating dummy.

 _Good grief,_ she sighed.

"You're not following them?" Hakuba asked.

Ruri jumped a bit since she had forgotten the other teen was still there.

 _Of course he wasn't fooled._

"Well, I thought it seemed a little weird, how short this heist was and the fact that he said he had 'other matters to attend to'."

Ruri watched as skepticism crossed Hakuba's face for a second before he sighed and settled on a smile.

"Then shall we start looking for him?" he asked.

Ruri nodded.

* * *

When Kaito had first heard of the heist note KID had sent, declaring he would take The Eye of Odin, he had almost choked on the chocolate muffin he was enjoying.

Now, here he was, standing face to face with Snake on the roof of the museum.

"It's been a while, KID," Snake grinned, pointing his gun at the thief.

"Oh, have you been wanting to see me? I probably could've gone the rest of my life without seeing you," KID retorted, giving a grin of his own.

Snake's grin disappeared and was replaced by anger.

"Stop BSing and just die," Snake snarled, firing the gun.

KID jumped and managed to dodge the first shot but the second and third grazed his left arm and cheek respectively.

He landed lightly on the rooftop and clutched at his arm. The Eye of Odin rolled out from his grip.

"Hah, has your aim gotten worse?" the magician taunted.

Snake's face twisted with anger and he raised the gun to fire again.

But before he could, the organization member was suddenly on the floor.

There was Ruri, standing behind Snake, holding a pipe.

She started to yell in rapid-fire English, never once pausing and having perfect pronunciation. Or as perfect as Kaito's ear could tell. He could only catch the words thief, stupid, and ahem, "bastard". She was talking too fast for his brain to process any more.

Thankfully, she wasn't yelling at him, oh no, she was yelling at Snake.

It didn't take until she was finished yelling did Kaito notice she was shaking.

She let go of the pipe and it fell with a loud clang.

The thief was absolutely stupefied. Here was a young girl hitting a Black Organization member over the head with a metal pipe.

Ruri dropped to the ground and KID was by her side in a flash.

* * *

 _That was possibly the STUPIDEST thing I've ever done,_ Ruri thought as KID tried to soothe her.

She was shaking so badly, she originally thought she was cold.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" the thief asked, flitting around her.

Ruri shook her head. Instead, she smiled, making KID stop.

"No one gets hurt, right?"

With a shake of the head, he smiled at the girl and they shared a laugh.

"For this to only be your first heist, ojou-san, I'm quite surprised," he said, once they had calmed down a bit and Ruri was no longer shaking.

Ruri nodded.

"The only thing is," he paused. "How did you find me?"

"You normally make for the rooftop so I thought that was my best bet," she replied.

KID hummed in acknowledgement.

"And...well, I figured HE would be here."

That made Kaito turn to look at the girl in shock.

"The notice. Something seemed off so I..." she trailed off.

"How much do you know?" he asked.

"Enough," was the reply.

They reveled in a spot of silence then.

"I was looking forward to seeing your magic..."

KID looked at Ruri and saw a bit of sadness as she looked up at the full moon.

He smiled.

"If you come to more of my heists, I'm sure you'll see it."

"KID!"

KID turned to the roof entrance to see and out of breath Hakuba.

"I've finally found you!"

Ruri glanced around the roof but Snake was nowhere to be seen.

With a flash of white, the Moonlight Magician was on his feet and standing at the edge of the rooftop.

"It seems we'll have to continue this next time," he smiled at Ruri and then he was gone.

Ruri ran to edge just in time to see the triangular shape of the glider shoot up into the sky and fly away.

"Ruri-san!" Hakuba grabbed the girl by her shoulders and they were face to face.

"Are you alright?!" he demanded.

Ruri nodded. "I'm just fine, Hakuba-san."

"By the way, where is The Eye of Odin?"

Ruri stood absolutely still. That was a very good question.

* * *

"Crap," Kaito mumbled.

He had forgotten The Eye of Odin back at the rooftop.

* * *

The full moon's light shone down and onto The Eye of Odin, making the green jewel glow ever so slightly.

"This isn't it," a gruff voice snarled.

* * *

"I'm home!" Ruri called as she opened the door to her house.

There wasn't a response.

She made her way to the kitchen where a little note sat. Right next to it was a plate of fried chicken.

It read:

"Hello Ruri-chan!

Papa and I are going to visit your grandfather and we won't be back for a week!

I made your favorite, fried chicken for dinner!"

Ruri sighed.

"Is irresponsible parents a running theme in this world?" she wondered out loud.

She made her way to her room and opened the door.

As she flopped onto her bed, she noticed a little box on her desk.

Reluctantly rising up and making her way over, she took the box in her hands.

It was simple and topped with a little pink ribbon in the shape of a flower. A little card read: "To the lovely female detective"

Ruri had to bite back a snort. Lovely? Hah.

She untied the ribbon and opened the box. It contained a little royal blue ribbon and a note.

"Here's to our friendship," it said.

Before she knew it, Ruri was smiling and on the verge of fangirling.

* * *

" 'And make a friend in the one who truly belongs', huh?" Kaito mumbled, looking out his window and at the full moon.

He smiled and closed the blinds.

* * *

 _AND HERE'S THE END MY LOVELIES! i'm so sorry but this took me so long because I had the heist planned out but didn't like it so I ended up rewriting the entire thing TAT_

 _In the next chapter, Ruri will be back at school and taking a bit of a break from all the drama. To be honest, I have no idea how long I'll be making this story, but there are some scenes that I REALLY want to write, so this won't be finished until I get to write ALL of them!_

 _THANK YOU FOR READING YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND AS ALWAYS, DFTBA!_


	11. The Break

Chapter Eleven

* * *

"A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking."

-Earl Wilson

* * *

"So, instead of going to Kyoto like we normally do, we will be seeing some of the other things Osaka has to offer," the teacher had told the class, as she attempted to brush glitter off her clothes. (It didn't work very well. She only succeeded in spreading the craft herpes everywhere.)

So here they were, walking through Osaka Castle Park, listening to a tour of the Takoishi (lit. Octopus Stone).

"...and the presumed weight of the wall is 130,000 kg. Does anyone have any questions?" the tour guide's gaze swept over the group of highschoolers.

A hand went up.

"Yes?"

"When is this tour done?"

The tour guide took a deep breath.

"Right now."

And they were off, running in groups of 4 to 5, trying to get to some of the more interesting parts of Osaka before the day ended. The only ones left after the chaos was finished was Ruri's group that consisted of Hakuba, Aoko, and Kaito. (Akako had been sent to another group.)

"Um...what should we do now?" Ruri asked, looking at her companions.

Aoko was busy looking through the brochure with Kaito hanging over her shoulder.

All of a sudden, the two's eyes were sparkling and they held up the brochure and pointed to a little sweets shop on the map.

"Here!" they chorused.

* * *

Ruri watched as Kaito polished off his 2nd chocolate sundae, feeling a bit ill.

"How can you eat that much chocolate?" she asked, slowly sipping on her tea.

"It helps me keep my girly figure," he grinned.

Hakuba snorted and Kaito blew him a raspberry.

Aoko sat beside the magician, happily eating a banana and strawberry parfait.

"But you know Ruri-san, I didn't think you drank tea," Hakuba turned to the girl beside him.

"Oh," Ruri turned red. "I'm not much of a coffee drinker..."

Hakuba smiled. "That's just as well. I can't stand coffee myself."

Kaito and Aoko watched as Hakuba and Ruri smiled and shared a short laugh.

* * *

Kaito was definitely not sulking. Sure, Ruri was wearing the blue ribbon he had given her in her hair, but...there was something about her talking to Hakuba that just...irked him. KID didn't sulk. Ever. And whatever feeling this was made him uncomfortable.

* * *

"Guys?"

Welp. Ruri was lost. Following their excursion to the sweets shop, they had made their way to Dotonburi. Where Ruri had promptly gotten lost.

Now, being 37 years old mentally, Ruri had prided herself on the ability to get through anything calmly and efficiently.

This unfortunately, did not count as one such time. She was currently on the verge of crying and feeling quite disappointed in herself.

"Hey, are ya ok?" a voice asked.

Ruri turned to see two sets of bright green eyes, a tanned face, and a fairly pale face.

"Um..." Ruri hadn't intended to stand out, but she realized she had attracted quite a bit of attention.

"I was separated from my friends..." she told Heiji and Kazuha, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Awww! Ya poor thing! Do ya know where they might be?" Kazuha asked, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Ruri.

Ruri refused the handkerchief and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"I- The last time I saw them was just around here..."

"What do they look like?" Heiji asked.

"Heiji's a detective! Maybe he can help ya find yer friends!" Kazuha smiled reassuringly.

"A detective?" Ruri asked.

"Tha's right! I'm known as the Great Detective of the West!" Heiji puffed out his chest a bit.

"Um...well, there's 3 of them, two boys and a girl. One boy is blond and named Hakuba Saguru and-"

"Did ya say Hakuba?!" Heiji demanded, grabbing Ruri's shoulders.

"H-hai..."

 _Well, I guess I could've expected this..._ Ruri gave an inward sigh.

"Yer friends with that blond bastard?!"

"Well, I guess not completely friends, more like classmates, really," Ruri explained.

Heiji finally released Ruri and took a step back.

"Hmph. As much as I hate that blond bastard, I can't ignore a girl that needs help," he huffed.

"Ah! I really appreciate it!" Ruri bowed in thanks.

* * *

"Where did Ruri go?!" Kaito yelled.

Ever since the 3 had realized Ruri wasn't with them, they all agreed to split up and look for her. They would meet back at the Glico Man sign in 2 hours.

Kaito was fairly certain that he had run the entire length of Dotonburi _twice_ just to look for the girl.

"Why can't she just answer her phone?" he sobbed.

* * *

Ruri was staring down at her now dead phone in dismay as they rode the train.

"Ya ok?" Kazuha asked, looking at her.

"U-Un...nothing to worry about!" Ruri faked a smile.

 _Might as well milk this chance for all it's worth,_ she thought.

"Hey, have ya seen any of the great places in Osaka?" Heiji suddenly asked.

Ruri looked up in shock and shook her head.

"Then how about we give ya the Osaka special tour?"

"I-well..."

"Aw, come on! It'll be fun!" Kazuha chimed.

I...ok..." Ruri smiled.

* * *

"Ruuuuuuriiiiii...where are yooooou..." Kaito groaned.

2 hours had passed and Ruri was still not found.

Hakuba had contacted the local police and they promised they would call him if anyone matching Ruri's description turned up.

Aoko had tried to call Ruri but she wasn't able to get through, no matter how many times she tried.

All of a sudden, Hakuba's phone started to ring. The teen detective reluctantly answered the phone with a tense, "Moshi moshi?"

Within a minute he was standing up straight, eyes wide, and talking animatedly.

He hurriedly shut the phone.

"They found her!"

* * *

It had been 2 hours since Ruri had met Heiji and Kazuha. They were both funny and fun to be around. Heiji was surprisingly responsible.

Until he insisted they meet his father at the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters.

"But I don't think we're supposed to be here..." Ruri had said when they reached the entrance.

Both Kazuha and Heiji assured her everything was fine and managed to get her inside.

When they came face to face with Heizo however, he was rather mad at the two Osakans.

"She was reported missing 2 hours ago!" he yelled.

"Ano, what do you mean 'reported missing'?" Ruri asked.

The stoic man turned to her and sighed.

"We got a call from Hakuba Saguru who said that one of his friends had gone missing in the Dotonburi prefecture," he explained.

"Ruri-san!"

Ruri turned to see an out of breath Hakuba, a worried Aoko, and a rather mad looking Kaito.

"Thank god you're ok, Ruri-chan!" Aoko ran to Ruri and gave her a hug.

"What were you doing?!" Kaito demanded. "We tried to call you!"

Ruri flinched. "I-my phone died..."

"Kuroba!" Hakuba stood in-between Kaito and Ruri, trying to form a shield around the girl.

Kaito frowned and stalked out the building.

"I'm sorry..." Ruri mumbled.

"Don't worry, Ruri-chan. He was just worried about you. We all were," Aoko assured.

Hakuba turned to Ruri and pat the top of her head.

"We're all glad you're safe," he smiled.

"Geez, Ruri-han! Ya have some pretty good friends there!" Kazuha commented, smiling.

"Un!" Ruri had to agree.

It was nice to be wanted by someone. To have someone who worried about you and who came looking for you if you got lost.

* * *

"Ano...Kaito-san?"

Kaito reluctantly turned toward the voice.

Ruri was shuffling a little bit.

He patted the seat next to him.

Ruri took the offer and a gingerly sat down.

"Um...I'm sorry I made you worry."

Kaito made a noncommittal sound.

"I'm sorry I didn't-"

She was cut off by an unfamiliar weight on her head.

It was Kaito's hand.

They sat in silence for a while, Ruri enjoying the kind feeling.

"Don't do that again," he whispered, his chin resting on the top of her head.

* * *

"Aoko-saaan..." Ruri cried.

The girl had found Ruri on the couch next to Kaito who had fallen asleep on her head, apparently.

Unfortunately for Ruri, Aoko had no intention of helping the girl. It was just too funny.

"Gomen-ne, Ruri-chan," she clapped her hands together silently and shuffled away to grab a camera and show Hakuba.

* * *

 _AHAHAHAHA imsorry I couldn't help it! I had to add in a little bit of a worried Kaito! I also had to put in some fluff there at the end DX I'M SORRY!_

 _Anyway, I hope you'll leave a review and continue reading!_

 _DFTBA YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE!_


	12. Last Day in Osaka

Chapter Twelve

* * *

 _I am SO sorry I haven't updated in a while! DX I've been a bit busy on some other things and I barely had enough time to write this! I've been wanting to write this ever since the group went to Osaka so I hope you guys enjoy it!_

* * *

"Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."

-Omar Khayyam

* * *

"Why don't we just wander around for today and see what happens?" Aoko suggested.

Ruri and Aoko were sharing a room in the cheap little hotel the school had chosen.

Ruri was in the middle of putting away their futons when Aoko had sprung the idea on her.

"That...doesn't sound like a bad idea..."Ruri replied, pausing for a bit. "But where would we wander?"

* * *

Well, their wandering had certainly proved interesting.

Hakuba and Kaito were pretty ok with the proposed idea, so it wasn't hard for the girls to convince them. (They were all in violent agreement)

And here they stood, well, Ruri, Aoko, and Hakuba stood. Kaito cowered behind the girls.

"IT'S HELL!" he screeched.

And if you had guessed they were in front of an aquarium, here's an invisible award.

"HOW COULD YOU GO INTO THAT WHERE ALL THE F-FINNY THINGS ARE?!"

Ruri shook with effort as she tried not to laugh.

Hakuba was trembling as well in an effort to not laugh, but unlike Ruri, he was failing.

Aoko...well, she was having the time of her life.

"T-then what do you w-want us to do?" Aoko tried to keep her laughter in check.

"I AM NOT GOING IN THERE!"

Kaito had opted for hiding behind Ruri since he didn't like Hakuba and Aoko was very close to toppling over.

"We're already h-here, though," Hakuba stifled a laugh.

"I can stay out here with h-him," Ruri volunteered, raising a hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughter.

"AH! RURI! EVEN YOU'RE LAUGHING?!"

"That might be best," Hakuba nodded, trying to fight a smile.

He took Aoko's hand and they walked inside the fish shaped building.

Ruri glanced down at Kaito who, somewhere along the line, had grasped her hand and was clinging to it like his life depended on it.

"Let's go where you can't see the fish anymore," she coaxed, pulling him up into a kind-of standing position.

* * *

Ruri once again found herself in a sweets shop.

Kaito was busy on his 4th double chocolate sundae.

Ruri had asked for a cup of tea.

Silence filled the space between them until Ruri could no longer take it.

"I'm not going to laugh again, Kuroba-san."

Kaito froze in place.

"We all have our weaknesses and fears."

Ruri smiled kindly.

"In exchange for finding out your fear, how about I tell you one of mine?"

That definitely perked the magician up.

"And what are you afraid of?" he asked, wiping the chocolate off his mouth with a napkin.

Ruri took a deep breath.

"I'm afraid of heights."

"Heights?"

The girl nodded.

"I'm afraid I'm going to fall to my death."

"Are you scared of airplanes?"

Ruri nodded.

The traumatic event of crashing and dying in a plane crash weighed much more heavily than Ruri had originally thought.

A hand moved over to cover Ruri's hand.

"It's ok," Kaito's soothing voice reassured.

She hadn't even realized she had begun to shake.

"Thanks."

* * *

"So you guys went on a date?" Aoko asked, placing her clothes in the little basket inside the changing room.

"Um, well, no, not really," Ruri turned a bit red, pulling off her shirt.

Aoko grinned.

"It sounds like you had a good time, though," she prodded.

"Aoko-san!"

Aoko laughed and headed for the spring.

* * *

"Che. Why did I have to be here with you," Kaito grumbled, sitting in the water of the hot spring.

"That should be my line," Hakuba sat next to him, arms crossed.

"Aoko-san!" a voice broke through the boys' thoughts.

There was a bit of laughter and a splash.

"What if there's someone here? It DID say communal bathing..."

"I-Is that Ruri-san's voice?" Hakuba whispered to Kaito.

Kaito slowly nodded. "I think so..."

Both boys turned a bit red.

"Don't worry! There's no one here but us!"

"A-And Aoko-kun..." Hakuba's face turned even redder.

"Hurry up and get in!"

There was a surprised cry and a splash.

"Ruri-chan?!"

"I'm ok... Mou, Aoko-san, you surprised, poking my back like that!"

"Gomen, Ruri-chan! I won't do it again!"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong, Ruri-chan?"

"I think there's someone else here..."

 _CRAP!_ both boys thought.

* * *

"Someone else?" Aoko asked, looking around the rocks.

Ruri nodded. She turned the corner of a rock and saw two shadowy figures obscured by the steam.

"Is someone there?" she called.

"Yes~ there's someone here~" a husky voice replied.

"Oh! A husky voice! How cute!" Aoko smiled.

 _WAIT._

Ruri waved at the steam and saw two figures facing away from her.

Both had their towels on their heads, wrapped around the hair to keep it from getting wet. One had brown hair, the other blonde...

Ruri stood straight up in the spring.

"I think I'm done bathing for now," she told Aoko, stiffly walking to edge.

"Ruri-chan? Is something wrong?" Aoko called as Ruri walked into the changing room. "You look red all over!"

* * *

"..."

"We never speak of this to anyone, agreed?" Kaito asked.

"...agreed..." Hakuba squeaked.

* * *

Ruri lay on her futon in her and Aoko's room, clutching the pillow.

 _That was too weird. WAY too close for comfort. We weren't even wearing bathing suits!_

"Ruri-chan?"

Aoko hovered above her friend, looking worried.

"Yes?" Ruri asked, trying to shove away bad and impure thoughts.

"Hakuba wanted to know if you'd be interested in ping pong."

 _Oh hello again impure thoughts._

"I think I'm ok..."

Aoko pouted. "You've been acting strange ever since you left abruptly in the hot spring!"

Ruri didn't say anything.

"Come on! I'm sure whatever is bothering you will go away!"

Ruri still didn't answer.

"Fine."

Aoko made her way to the end of Ruri's futon.

* * *

"It's been quite a while since we last saw Aoko-kun... I hope nothing bad has happened..." Hakuba sighed as he and Kaito waited in the recreation room with some of their fellow students.

"Oh, here she is," Kaito stood up as soon as he saw Aoko walking down the hall with Ruri in tow.

"Yahoo!" Aoko called, waving to the boys.

"What took you so long?" Kaito asked.

"Oh, Ruri-chan was being stubborn," she glanced at Ruri who was avoiding looking at either of the boys.

"Are you ok?" Kaito asked.

"I-I'm fine," Ruri mumbled, her face going red.

"Ok...If you say so..." Kaito twirled one of the ping pong paddles in his hand.

* * *

"Aw~! I'm so sad that ya'll be leaving!" Kazuha hugged Ruri.

"I'm sure we'll come back," Ruri reassured.

"Just make sure ta leave the blondie at home," Heiji glared at Hakuba.

"I'm British, you oaf," Hakuba sniffed.

"Why you-" Heiji started, raised his fist.

"OK, Heiji, time to let them leave," Kazuha butt in, holding Heiji's arm.

Heiji turned a little red and lowered his hand.

He turned to Ruri instead and put his hand on her head.

"Come see us, ok?"

Ruri smiled and nodded.

* * *

 _And here is where this chapter ends! Ruri has left Osaka and it's the end of her break! I hope you all enjoyed the fluff Ruri and Kaito had this time around! Next chapter, I'll be writing an actual case from the series!_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	13. Trick Vs Magic (Part 1)

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

"There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment."

-Norman Vincent Peale

* * *

"A magic show?" Ruri repeated.

"Un! I got a ticket but it turned out I'm not going to be able to make it so I thought you might like to go see it," Aoko explained, waving around the little slip of purple paper.

"But why me? I would've thought Keiko would be your first choice..."

"Oh, Keiko told me she was busy that day."

 _Ah. So I wasn't the first choice..._

Ruri sighed. "Well, I'm quite flattered you're giving it to me but..."

Aoko tilted her head to the side.

"Just take it! Kaito told me that you enjoy magic and the like, so I thought you'd want to go!" She thrust the ticket into Ruri's hands and smiled.

"I- ...thank you..." Ruri mumbled.

* * *

"I wonder when it's going to start..." Ruri mumbled, checking her watch.

 _The show was supposed to start-_

The lights in the auditorium began to dim, making the place pitch black. Suddenly, the lights turned on, making Ruri flinch.

She watched as the curtain rose, revealing flickering torches and a white tiger sitting in a cage. A man dressed like some demon last boss game character came out with a camera and went right up to the cage, filling the screen on the left with the tiger's roaring head. Two women came out from the sides of the stage, dressed in black leotards and fishnet stockings. One had wavy shoulder-length hair, and the other had short straight hair. They covered the cage with a yellow curtain and the one with shoulder-length wavy hair raised her left hand. Slowly, the covered cage began to rise into the air. Eventually it stopped, two ropes dangling from the bottom.

The two women walked to the ropes and tugged. Smoke covered the stage, and the audience cried out in surprise. There, in the cage where the tiger used to be, was a man with long wavy hair, dressed in a slightly eye catching tuxedo, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He stepped out of the cage and took the microphone the short haired woman offered him.

"Welcome, everyone, to Fuyuki Genyou's magic show. Please enjoy tonight's magic with your entire heart."

* * *

Ruri watched with slight morbid fascination as Fuyuki revved up the chainsaw and brought it down slowly on the box that held the short haired woman. She knew how the trick worked, but it was still interesting. He placed two reflective plates inside the middle and pulled the two halves apart, showing them off. He placed them together again, pulling out the plates. The box's sides opened, revealing the woman to be completely unharmed.

* * *

Throwing knives certainly weren't something Ruri knew much about. So when the short haired woman was strapped to the huge black and red dart board and a tray filled with knives was sent out, she knew this was going to be interesting. The man gently picked up one of the knives with a gloved hand, and threw it at the woman, making the audience gasp. The knife was embedded right next to the woman's head. The man picked up another two, clanging them together just a bit, before throwing both. They dug into the board on either of the woman's sides. She was then given a bright yellow balloon to hold in her mouth. The other woman spun the board gently, so that she was spinning with a constant gentle speed. The man pet the knife before throwing that one as well. It popped the balloon and the audience let out another collectively horrified sound.

* * *

The next trick looked very sinister in Ruri's opinion. Two large and thick metal plates were brought out, the top one containing sharp, painful looking spikes. Fuyuki walked over to one of the needles and tapped it so that a metallic clanging sound resounded throughout the auditorium. He was strapped to the bottom plate and the two women began to cover the bottom part of the contraption. But not before Ruri saw the man opening and closing his left hand in a frantic, purposeful movement. Was something wrong?

"WAIT!" a man's voice yelled.

The long haired woman pulled on a rope, and the top plate came crashing down, promising quick bloody deaths to those who didn't manage to get out of the way fast enough. An agonized scream rang in Ruri's ears.

The auditorium was filled with silence as a dark liquid dripped onto the stage from underneath the bottom plate.

"Fuyuki-san!"

A figure of a man came running onto the stage, followed by another smaller boy. The two women opened up the curtain, revealing a still figure. The man, who Ruri now recognized as Mouri Kogorou, stopped at the contraption.

The would-be dead body of Fuyuki rolled over to look at the detective.

"Well, well, you're the Great Detective Mouri Kogorou-san, if I'm not mistaken," Fuyuki smirked, sitting up at the edge of the plate.

He got up to approach the other man.

"And? Is there something wrong?" he asked, all smiles.

"Ah...no..." the detective answered.

"Everyone, it seems that Mouri Kogorou was thinking that I was killed by these two lovely ladies. But don't worry, I'm alive as you all can see," Fuyuki addressed the audience.

Kogorou turned to the crowd and put his hand on his head meekly.

"I-I'm very sorry," he said, smiling apologetically.

The auditorium was filled with laughter.

"However, I can't understand that you think that my magic can go wrong," Fuyuki took a slightly arrogant stance. He turned to Kogorou. "But thanks for your help."

"No, I thank you," Kogorou laughed.

"Everyone, please give Mouri-san a warm welcome!"

"Thank you, thank you," Kogorou looked flustered.

* * *

Ruri sat in her seat as the intermission started. Her heart had almost stopped when that plate had come crashing down. This was NOT good for her health. She wondered if Aoko or Kaito would've liked this kind of stereotypical magic show.

 _Ah, well, Kaito would probably just go into a rant about how he can do much better magic than some cheap rip-off can, or something..._

Ruri quietly contemplated different things and before she noticed it, the show had started up again.

* * *

A big sealed glass box stood on the stage, filled with water. Fuyuki lay on the ground, hands handcuffed and in the air. The short haired woman made a motion, and the top of the box was lifted by a crane. The top was then moved over to where Fuyuki was, and he lifted his legs up. The top of the box opened a bit, where Ruri could see two holes. Fuyuki slipped his feet in the opened holes, and the top of the box was closed again. The women locked the top of the box with twin satisfying clicks. Fuyuki was lifted up into the air and placed above the water filled box. He nodded to his assistants and the both women raised their hands in a 'go' signal. The man was slowly lowered into the water and the excess all gushed out at the top. The women then locked the box as well.

For some reason, Ruri had a feeling of dread in the bottom of her stomach.

She watched as a black curtain was pulled upwards to surround the box, soon making it impossible to see inside. The curtain was pulled a little more so that Fuyuki's head and hands were visible. A moment later, and the curtain was down again, leaving Ruri with that feeling of dread. Fog filled the bottom of the stage, giving the atmosphere a creepy feeling.

Ruri watched and watched, each moment making the dread more prominent. After what seemed like several eternities, the women were poised to lift the curtain.

The curtain lifted slowly, revealing bit by bit, the tank. With a shock, everyone realized that Fuyuki was still inside. Ruri's hands flew up to cover her mouth. Once again, Mouri Kogorou and Conan were running up onto the stage.

Mouri Kogorou was banging on the tank, yelling Fuyuki's name. The two women went to the tank in an attempt to open it. A long haired man ran onto the stage yelling, "Scatter it! Scatter and take it down!"

"Hasegawa, lift the cover!"

The top of the box was lifted upwards, making more water gush out onto the stage. Frightened talking and slight screams filled the auditorium as the body of Fuyuki was lifted out of the water. The women placed Fuyuki onto the stage gently and began calling his name in worried tones.

The long haired man that had run on stage told Mouri Kogorou to begin the first aid. After calling his name a few times, the detective began to apply CPR.

A man ran onto the stage shouting, "Manager!"

Everyone in the crew was calling Fuyuki's name.

 _Oh no,_ Ruri thought, hands still covering her mouth.

* * *

 _AAAAAAAAND that's where it ends. This_ _actually is where the actual episode ended...lol Anyway, I'm sorry I was late with this chapter, and I hope y'all like it! I'm quite proud of it and tentatively calling it, so far, my best work._ _The chapter's name is the name of the episode (so if you wanted to watch the episode...) And if the name doesn't help, Trick Vs. Magic is episodes 450-51. I wanted to do something that made sense for Ruri to be interested in, and I had to kind of look through the episodes to see which one suited my needs best._ _So, if you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review! I live off reviews. Seriously. Ok, no but still. Also, I'm sorry that the middle got a bit...text heavy._

 _NEXT EPISODE: TRICK VS. MAGIC 2ND PART_


	14. Trick Vs Magic (Part 2)

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

"That blood which thou hast spill'd, should join you closely in an eternal bond."

-Vittorio Alfieri

* * *

Ruri's hands covered her mouth as she tried to keep herself from throwing up.

 _I never expected... the only reason I was able to get through that last murder was because Hakuba was with me..._

She had sat for several moments staring on in pure unmasked horror, watching as everyone tried in vain to resuscitate the dead magician.

Now, she was wandering the inner halls of the theatre, attempting to look for the main cast. She came upon a room that had what sound like a recording of the show playing inside. She peered in.

Sure enough, everyone was inside, watching the recording.

Ruri recognized Inspector Megure, Detective Takagi, Detective Sato, Detective Chiba, everyone from Fuyuki's crew (including the crane operator), as well as Mouri Kogorou, Ran, and Conan.

Just as Ruri was about to leave, thinking this wasn't really her scene, Conan turned around to face the door. His eyes bugged a bit, as he wasn't expecting someone to be there, and Ruri put a finger to her lips, trying to signal she wanted silence.

Hopefully he recognized her.

And he did, a flash of understanding passing on his face. But at that moment, Ran turned to look at Conan, effectively giving away Ruri.

"Ah!" she cried out, pointing at the girl in the doorway.

Everyone in the room swiveled around in surprise to find Ruri standing very awkwardly.

"Oh, you're..." Megure trailed off.

"You know this girl, keibu-san?" Takagi asked, worried.

"Aa, she helped out with a case a while back," the inspector sighed, putting his hand on his face.

"Ah, sorry for intruding," Ruri bowed, blood rushing to her cheeks.

"You were at the mall!" Ran cried, her own flash of recognition passing.

Ruri smiled nervously and nodded.

"Do all teenage detectives have to be nosy?" Kogorou grumbled, obviously unhappy.

"I'm very sorry for intruding! I was just getting ready to leave..." Ruri apologized.

She stepped out of the room, leaving.

* * *

Ruri sighed, looking around the stage where workmen now were, inspecting the area.

"Of course this is how I end up doing things," she mumbled.

"Oh, why don't I be the silent and mysterious female helper," Ruri's voice changed into that of a mocking tone. "It's such a great idea, why not?"

She snorted once.

Sighing, she took a deep breath and began to look around the stage. The police were certainly being rather thorough. Of course, they end up missing things a lot of times as well...

Ruri idly wondered if she should really be helping out, listening to the rain pour outside.

She spotted Conan come in, looking for clues. She watched, slightly amused, as his face went through different stages of thinking.

* * *

Conan looked around, trying to find something to help. The workers were already combing through the stage and the equipment, looking for evidence. Inspector Megure, Sato, and Takagi were there as well.

He briefly thought about the top part of the tank, thinking there might be clue.

"We're going to watch the video again," Megure told Sato and Takagi. They straightened up.

"Yes, sir!"

At that moment, thunder crashed, and the power was out, plunging everyone into darkness.

The lights slowly came back on, thanks to a back-up generator.

A scream had Conan's attention back to the stage in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, Takagi-kun!" Sato shrieked.

Takagi was clinging to Sato's waist, eyes shut and shaking.

"What are you doing, Takagi?" Megure asked.

Takagi opened his eyes and let go.

"I'm sorry, I did it unintentionally," he told Sato.

A push later, he was on the floor.

 _What are they doing?_ Conan wondered.

A light went on in his head.

 _Now that I think about it, it was pitch black when they lowered the curtains!_

He ran onto the stage, going straight for the tank's removable top.

Conan squatted next to the top, looking at the hanger.

"Hm? Have you found something?" a voice made Conan look up.

It was the girl from before, Ruri.

"Ah, don't you think that this hanger has changed?" he pointed to the object in question. "Because normally it's in the center and the one outside is longer, right?"

"Really? You certainly notice a lot," she smiled.

"Also, I wonder what that hole is for..." he commented, referring to a little hole in the hanger.

"I took a look earlier, but I didn't notice it until just now," Ruri replied.

 _Earlier..._

* * *

Ruri stretched, watching as the police arrested Shingo Shoji, Fuyuki's manager.

"I think my work here is done," she grinned, starting to leave.

"Ah!" a shout of recognition had Ruri stopped in her tracks.

Turning around, Ruri saw Ran and Conan making their way towards her.

"You were at the mall that one time, right?" Ran asked, smiling.

"Ah, hai," Ruri answered a little hesitantly.

"What a coincidence to be meeting you here! Did you come here to see the show?"

Ruri nodded.

"I enjoy watching magic," she replied.

"Really?" Ran tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

Why? Ruri wasn't totally sure how to answer that.

"Well...someone I really admire is very skilled in magic," she finally said.

Ran smiled. "I think anyone that's admired by you is a lucky person!"

Ruri blushed.

"Well, it's time for us to be going," Ran told her as Kogorou came up behind them, yawning.

The two girls shared another smile before Ran and Kogorou were off.

"You certainly make a good detective," she told Conan, who was still standing next to her, trying to size her up.

Shock flickered across his face but was quickly replaced with a smirk.

"You too," he replied, voice a bit deeper than before.

"Conan-kun! Hurry up!"

"Ah, hai!"

"Stay safe, meitantei," she told him before he ran off.

He shot her a baffled look before running to Ran.

* * *

"I heard that the magician at the show you went to was murdered!" Aoko cried as Ruri slid into her seat. Aoko was wearing a bright blue uniform.

Ruri nodded. "He was drowned."

"A pity ol' Hakuba wasn't there," Kaito plopped himself onto her desk. "He would've had so much fun."

"Murder is never fun, Kuroba," Hakuba came up behind Ruri.

He was dressed in an offending bright neon green version of his usual school uniform.

"What happened to you two?" Ruri couldn't help but ask.

"Kuroba happened," the Brit replied, sighing.

Ruri glanced around the classroom to find that everyone had been dressed in brightly colored versions of their uniforms.

"I'm next, aren't I?" she sighed.

Kaito grinned mischievously as both Aoko and Hakuba nodded solemnly.

* * *

 _ANNNNND IT'S DONE! I'm sorry for not making Ruri more involved in the case, but she's the type to not really be very proactive. She's more likely to drop hints and stuff rather than go out and confront people. That saying, she was quite proactive in the first murder, but only because it happened right there, and there was a bigger and less anxiety inducing way to go about solving the murder. Anyway, a little more character info on her, she has terrible anxiety talking to people and prefers to follow the rules. Not to the point of being stiff, but to avoid getting into trouble. She used to be an ok singer, but thanks to her reincarnation, it's gotten better. Ruri tends to sing soprano but her strength is in mezzo-soprano._

 _NEXT TIME: RURI GETS SICK!_

 _DFTBA EVERYBODY!_


	15. Ruri's Sick Day

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

"I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."

-Fannie Lou Hamer

* * *

"38 degrees..." Ruri inspected the thermometer.

She collapsed back into her bed, sweat gathering on her forehead.

"Why did they have to take a trip to Okinawa for 2 weeks?" she groaned, trying to wipe away the sweat.

She pulled herself out of bed and attempted to get to her closet. Before she could even get close, she collapsed, sleep quickly overtaking her.

* * *

"Ruri-chan didn't come to class today," Aoko mumbled, putting her books in her bag.

Kaito sat in his desk, arms crossed and pouting a bit.

"I wonder if she caught a cold," Hakuba commented.

"Then why don't we go visit her?" she suggested.

The three of them left the school and made their way to Ruri's house.

As they went up to the door, Hakuba noticed something off.

Aoko rang the doorbell, and they heard a little chime go off inside.

They waited a while before Aoko rang it again.

Still nothing.

After 3 more rings, they were very worried.

"Is no one home?" Aoko wondered.

"I don't think so," Hakuba replied. "The 2nd floor light is on."

Aoko knocked on the door.

"Ruri-chan? Is everything ok? Is anyone even home?" she called.

A few moments later, they heard a crash and the sound of someone inside.

The door opened to reveal a tired and flushed Ruri still in her pajamas.

"Aoko-san?" she asked before fainting into Hakuba's arms.

* * *

Ruri awoke to the sound of someone yelling and coolness on her head.

"See?! Now look, she's awake thanks to you!" Kaito yelled at Hakuba.

She sat up, trying to chase off the grogginess she felt. The wet towel plopped onto her lap.

"Kuroba-san? Hakuba-san?" she questioned, her voice a bit raspy.

"Ruri-san, you're awake. We came to visit you but when you opened the door, you fainted," Hakuba explained.

Kaito's brows were furrowed together in slight distress.

"Ah, thank you..." she mumbled, earlier coming back to her.

"Aoko is borrowing your kitchen," Kaito told her.

"Ah...that's why I heard that..."

"You've got a fever of 40 degrees!"

"Oh...it went up..." Ruri mumbled.

"It went up?!" Kaito shrieked.

She nodded. "It was 38 this morning..."

"You're lucky we came, Ruri-san," Hakuba said, taking the towel and placing it into a basin of ice water.

"Sorry about all this," she lowered her head.

"It's not your fault," Hakuba reassured, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Still..."

Hakuba smiled a little. "It's alright."

"Is Ruri-chan awake? I've made porridge," Aoko came through the door of Ruri's bedroom.

"Oh, hello Aoko-san," Ruri smiled at the girl.

Aoko smiled and offered the porridge to Ruri.

"Thank you, Aoko-san," she took the pro-offered food.

"I'm glad you're feeling better enough to eat," Aoko took a seat next to Kaito.

Ruri nodded, taking a bite of the porridge.

"This is really good," she said, eyes widening.

Aoko beamed with pride.

"I'm glad you like it."

* * *

Kaito and Hakuba tried not to stare at Ruri.

The poor girl's sweat had soaked through her royal blue pajamas and they were beginning to look a little see-through.

Her face was flushed and she looked very tired.

"Ok, you two," Aoko began, looking at the boys. "Time for you to get out so she can change."

They looked at each other and silently walked out, all the while Ruri protesting that she didn't need anything.

* * *

"Ok! You can come back in!" Aoko called from inside the room.

Kaito opened the door and walked inside, followed closely by Hakuba.

Ruri now wore light pink pajamas and looked significantly better.

"Thank you for helping, Aoko-san," Ruri told the girl, who was getting ready to leave.

"No problem, Ruri-chan! It's what friends do!"

Ruri managed to see them to the door and they said their good-byes.

Sighing, Ruri shut the door and went back upstairs to her room.

"Friends...huh?"

* * *

The next morning, Aoko stared glumly at Ruri's desk.

"What's wrong with you?" Kaito asked, resting his head on the edge of her desk.

"I was just wondering if Ruri is better..." she mumbled.

"Aoko-san?"

Aoko and Kaito looked up to see a smiling Ruri.

"Ruri-chan!" Aoko hugged Ruri.

"Thank you for your help yesterday," Ruri said, smiling and awkwardly hugging Aoko back.

"I already told you, it's what friends do!"

Kaito pet Ruri's head.

"Glad to have you back," he grinned, making a pink rose appear.

"I can't die yet," Ruri smiled, taking the flower. Mirth twinkled in her eyes.

Ruri glanced around. "Where's Hakuba?"

Kaito grinned even wider and pointed upwards.

Ruri looked up to see Hakuba taped to the ceiling and very much looking like he was going to have aneurysm.

"Why?" she asked.

"He stole my newspaper," the magician replied, as if it was obvious.

"Ah."

* * *

 _Kind of a mini chapter. Well, that was just a chapter full of fluff and I hope you enjoyed it!_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: RURI'S BIRTHDAY!_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	16. Ruri's Birthday Surprise

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

"Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years."

-Ausonius

* * *

Ruri glanced down at the clock on her phone.

"February 8th, huh?" she mumbled to herself as she walked home.

She passed by the old bookstore run by a kind old couple, the little market near her home, and the big cherry tree. Everything was so familiar after 16 years of living in this world. Soon to be 17 years, though.

Ruri could still remember her life as Janet, passing each day, alone and in her room, watching anime. She remembered how cold her house had felt when her parents had died. Living alone and having no friends. She tried to spend as little time thinking about how lonely she felt those days. She spent her time going to conventions, working on nothing but cosplay costumes and the like.

Ruri opened the door to her house and was greeted by her parents.

"Hello, Ruri!" Aki hugged her daughter.

Ruri lightly hugged back.

"Welcome home," Tomoharu smiled, stepping out from inside the kitchen.

"Have you decided what you want for your birthday?" Aki asked, untangling herself from Ruri.

"Anything is fine, Okaa-sama," Ruri smiled.

Aki pouted a bit.

"I'll be in my room," Ruri walked up the stairs and into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Aki looked worriedly at the stairs and walked dejectedly into the kitchen where her husband sat at the table.

"Ruri always gets depressed around her birthday," she told Tomoharu.

"Perhaps she just doesn't like her birthday?" he suggested, taking a sip of his coffee.

"But all kids her age like their birthdays..."

* * *

"Ne, Ruri-chan!" Aoko called as the girl walked into the classroom.

Ruri looked up and gave a weak smile. She silently walked over to her desk without another look.

Kaito and Hakuba looked over at Aoko and then over to Ruri.

"Is something wrong?" Kaito asked, popping up beside Ruri in a cloud of smoke.

She looked up slowly and smiled weakly again.

"No. Nothing's wrong," she replied, trying to put on a happy face.

Kaito watched her for a moment, definitely seeing something wrong, but unsure about whether or not to pry.

Instead, he opted for making a poinsettia* appear and putting it on her desk where Ruri looked at and then smiled sadly.

"Thank you. I'll try." she told him.

Kaito resolved to find out what was making her unhappy.

* * *

Kaito had placed several bugs on Ruri and on her bag so that he might be able to learn more about Ruri's depression. He also had a dove follow her.

Right now, she was heading home looking rather tired.

She paused in front of a bookstore and then went inside. Kaito's dove sat in a tree just outside, giving him a rather clear view of the store.

He watched as she perused the shelves in a the fantasy section before her expression lit up and she pulled a book off the shelf. She repeated this process about 3 more times before she went to the back to pay.

Shortly after, Ruri walked out of the old looking shop holding a brown paper bag and looking significantly happier. And yet... still kind of depressed.

The magician's little dove followed the girl all the way home and perched right outside her window.

"Welcome home, Ruri," Kaito heard Ruri's mother say.

"I'm home, okaa-sama," Ruri replied.

"Ruri... are you sure you don't want anything for your birthday?"

Silence.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Kaito clenched his fist. Ruri's birthday was coming up? How come she didn't tell anybody? Normally, whenever it was Aoko's birthday, he couldn't get her to shut up.

He heard a sound that was probably Ruri walking to her room and then the sound of door closing softly.

"... I would've treated myself to all sorts of things if it was my birthday back home..." she mumbled.

Back home? Wasn't she at home? This WAS where she lived... right? Kaito was baffled at her words.

"February 10th...huh?" Ruri whispered before falling silent.

Soft even breathing filled the headset Kaito was wearing.

Ruri needed a birthday surprise.

* * *

"And that's why we're going to surprise Ruri today," Aoko explained.

It was early in the morning on the 10th of February and Kaito hadn't even needed to try and convince Aoko and Hakuba to throw a party. Aoko had already convinced Hakuba.

"So... you're mail friends with Aki-san?" Kaito asked, absolutely stunned. Poker Face be damned.

Aoko nodded.

"And she wanted us to come over tonight to throw a party for Ruri-chan?"

Another nod.

Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose. All that *ahem* "stalking" was turning out to be a total waste of time.

"Fine. Just-just don't tell her anything."

"What kind of gifts should we get her?" Hakuba asked, voicing a very good question both Aoko and Kaito had overlooked.

* * *

Ruri opened the door to her house, surprised to find it dark and empty looking.

"Is anyone there?" she called.

When no one answered she crept past the kitchen but a little light made her stop and cautiously look around.

"SURPRISE!"

Streamers and poppers all simultaneously coming at her made Ruri fall backwards and onto the floor.

"You-" she started before realizing it wasn't just her parents this year.

Kaito, Aoko, and Hakuba stood beside them, all smiles and grins.

"What are you doing here?" Ruri asked, collecting the shreds of her pride.

"We're here to celebrate your birthday, what else?" Aoko smiled, her head adorned with a little party hat.

Ruri looked around. The ceiling was covered in streamers and a sign read, "Happy 17th Birthday, Ruri!"

Before she knew it, tears were welling up and blurring her vision.

Aki and Tomoharu were at her side, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Thank you," she sobbed, huge tears streaming down the sides of her face.

Everyone smiled and laughed a bit.

After a quick recovery, Ruri blew out the candles on the cake and the delicious chocolate pastry was served.

After cake came the gifts.

Hakuba got her a complete set of Sherlock Holmes books.

Aoko got her a little rabbit plush.

Aki got her a new light crème color dress.

Tomoharu got her some money.

And Kaito gave her a pair of four leaf clover hair clips.

Ruri couldn't remember being as happy as she was that day when she was Janet.

* * *

 _And another mini chapter is finished! I'm not all that proud of it, seeing as I came up with the idea while half asleep. I wanted to give Ruri some bonding points with everyone seeing as she didn't really bond at all with Aoko. Next chapter we'll be seeing a little more of Ran and Sonoko shall have her debut!_

 _Coming up, KID has scheduled another heist! This time, he's going after The Heart of Aphrodite! A giant, heart sized pink sapphire. Also more teaser shipping for KID and Ruri! XD_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: HEART OF A GODDESS (PART 1)_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	17. Heart Of A Goddess (Part 1)

Chapter Seventeen

* * *

"God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there's no turning back."

-Gloria Steinem

* * *

"Dear Ruri,

We're sorry, but your o̶l̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶ grandmother wants us to stay for a few more days!

We're really sorry! へ(´д｀へ)

Anyway, there's an invitation to the opening exhibit for The Heart of Aphrodite inside!

It's a 2 day 2 night stay in the Suzuki's group resort courtesy of your grandmother.

I hope you have fun, dear!"

Ruri stared at the piece of paper in utter disbelief.

They had already been gone for a week, and now they said they weren't going to be home?!

The paper crumpled in her clenched fist.

She dug through the envelope to find a fancy purple invitation.

In beautiful gold scripted letters it read,

"Yukihisa Miyabi-sama

You have been cordially invited to the Suzuki Group Opening Exhibition"

And in smaller scripted letters at the bottom,

"If you wish for someone to attend in your place, please call beforehand.

Thank you."

Well, at least it was a resort!

Ruri tried to think positively. It was hard. Very hard.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

"It's ok. Just an exhibition. Juuuust an exhibition."

...

Oh, she was screwed. So very screwed.

* * *

"Yukihisa Ruri-sama?" the desk registration woman asked, pushing up her glasses.

"Ah, yes," Ruri nodded.

"Hmm... yes, here you are... You came in place of Yukihisa Miyabi-sama?"

Ruri nodded again. "She's my grandmother."

"Yes, this is the key to your room. Number 573. Here's a map as well," the woman handed a piece of paper to the girl.

She took the paper and began to make her way to the elevator, bag in hand.

Ruri walked inside and pressed the button for the 5th floor before she noticed someone running towards her.

"Wait! Hold on!"

She slammed her hand into the 'keep door open' button and the person ran inside, almost crashing into the wall of the elevator.

"Thanks," the person panted out.

"No problem at all. What floor?" Ruri asked.

"6th please," the person finally caught their breath and straightened up.

It was a young man, probably no older than 22, with slicked back brown hair and dark brown eyes wearing a crisp business suit.

Ruri pressed the 6th floor button.

She hadn't even realized she was staring at the man until he asked, "Is there something on my face?"

She floundered for a bit, red in the face before answering, "No, no, you just look like a ...friend of mine."

The man laughed at that.

"Do I really look like him that much?"

She nodded hesitantly.

He laughed even harder.

"Are you coming onto me?" he asked, wiping away tears.

Ruri stiffened and turned a tomato red.

"No!" she practically yelled.

The man laughed again as Ruri covered her mouth in embarrassment. She hadn't meant to raise her voice.

"I was just kidding. The name's Hamasaki Kichirou," he pulled out a little white business card and handed it to her.

Ruri took the card and looked at it before putting it in her pocket.

"My name is Yukihisa Ruri," she smiled.

"What a pretty name! And it suits you too," Kichirou grinned, showing off his pearly whites.

Ruri blushed a bit.

"You look cute when you blush," the man said.

There was a ding and the door swung open.

Ruri stepped out of the elevator. "This is my stop," she smiled.

"Will I be seeing you at the party?" Kichirou asked.

"Party?" Ruri repeated, confused.

"Yes. You didn't know? There's a party tomorrow night held in honor of the Heart of Aphrodite."

Ruri didn't answer.

As the doors closed, Kichirou winked and said, "See you there."

 _Party? PARTY?_

Had Ruri heard right?

No, he definitely said party.

But-but she hadn't even packed a dress let alone one for a _party._

As she tromped to her room, she kept thinking about if she should just skip the party altogether.

After all, this was HER vacation. No one could tell her to go to a party if she didn't want to.

* * *

Ruri walked along the pool wearing a modest one piece bathing suit. She didn't want to show off too much of her skin.

"Ne, Ran!" a loud voice made Ruri look up.

She spotted Sonoko splashing Ran with water inside the pool. Almost on instinct, she hid behind a wall.

 _Why are they here?_ she thought to herself. _Oh wait. Jirokichi is Sonoko's uncle. Of course she would be here. Along with Ran and Conan... where is he, actually?_

Ruri almost smacked herself with her hand. How could she have not noticed it sooner? The Suzuki name had been on the card, for flip's sake.

"Onee-chan?" a child-like voice startled Ruri.

She looked down to see none other than Conan.

"Oh, hello! What a coincidence to see you here, little boy!" Ruri bent down.

Conan still looked like a little kid, but Ruri knew he was trying to figure out if she posed a threat or not. She didn't want to hurt them, obviously, but he didn't know that.

"Un!" he finally smiled at her. "Would you like to see Ran-nee-chan?"

Before she could tell him no, Conan yelled, "Ran-nee-chan! Come over here!"

Ran looked up and walked over, followed by Sonoko, who looked more than a little annoyed.

"What is it, Conan-kun?" she asked, before noticing Ruri.

"H-Hello Mouri-san," Ruri bowed, feeling embarrassed.

"Hey! You're that girl! We sure keep running into each other!" Ran smiled and greeted Ruri.

"Actually, I don't think I got your name," Ran's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's Yukihisa Ruri," Ruri said.

"Yukihisa?" Sonoko finally said.

Ruri nodded.

"Are you related to Yukihisa Miyabi?"

"I'm her granddaughter."

Sonoko nodded but said nothing else.

"This is Conan," Ran patted Conan's head. "I'm taking care of him for his parents."

Ruri smiled. "That's awfully nice of you."

"Ruri-chan!" a voice cut into the girls' conversation.

Ruri looked over to see Kichirou walking towards her.

"Oh, hello, Hamasaki-san," she greeted.

"Call me Kichirou," he grinned.

Ruri glanced over at Sonoko. She seemed to be hyperventilating. Ruri inwardly sighed. Yes, Kichirou was certainly handsome, but he gave her the creeps.

"Is there something you need, Kichirou-san?" she asked, trying to be pleasant.

"I was wondering if you would accompany me to tomorrow's dance," he grinned like he didn't expect anything less than a yes.

"Um, I can't. I don't have a dress."

Ruri REALLY didn't want to dance with the creep. Besides, her not having a dress was true.

"Why don't we buy you one?" he asked, still trying.

"Oh no, I couldn't."

Ruri NEEDED to get away from him.

Kichirou took her hand and kissed it. "Are you sure?"

 _Very_ sure.

"Yes."

Kichirou's stance changed from relaxed and confident to offended and angry.

Ruri guessed he wasn't used to being turned down.

"Well then," he began. "I suppose I won't be seeing you."

He walked off looking angry.

"Geez, what's his deal?" Sonoko huffed. "What a jerk."

Ran nodded. "Are you ok, Ruri-san?"

Ruri nodded. "I'm fine. I didn't think he was going to be THAT persistent."

"Well, if he ever bothers you again, just call and I'll put him in his place," Ran smiled, balling her hands into fists and throwing a few punches.

"Thank you, Mouri-san," Ruri turned red.

"Call me Ran."

"R-Ran-san."

"I'm Suzuki Sonoko. The niece of Suzuki Jirokichi," Sonoko puffed out her chest.

Ruri's eyed widened and she tried to fake surprise.

"That's amazing!"

"Oh, right, will you be attending the party tomorrow night?" Ran asked.

"There's also an optional masquerade ball," Sonoko added.

"Optional?"

"Yup! Anyone and everyone can attend and if you want, you can even wear a mask!"

Ruri would've liked to go, but, still not having a dress, she had to decline.

"I'm just..." she trailed off.

"Don't worry about it. If you don't want to go, you don't have to," Sonoko and Ran assured.

The girls talked for a while, but as the clock neared 10, they all agreed it was time for some shut-eye.

After exchanging mail addresses, they said their farewells and each headed back to their rooms.

Ruri pulled out her room card and swiped it quickly so that the door beeped and unlocked.

She was just about to take a shower when she spotted a white box sitting on her bed.

She walked over to it and opened the box. Inside was a letter sitting on top of something velvety.

Ruri opened the letter and began to read.

"To the lovely female detective,

Since you seem to be lacking the proper attire for tomorrow's ball,

I have taken it upon myself to find a dress worthy of being worn by such a lady as yourself.

I hope to see you there.

Yours Truly,

KID"

Ruri almost fell backwards upon finishing the letter.

KID was here? And he got her a dress to go to the masquerade ball?

 _Although, I suppose I could've guessed he would be here, considering it's Jirokichi after all._

She set the letter aside and began to pull out the dress.

Simply saying, it was a work of art.

The dress was two layers, the top being a deep velvet red and the bottom being a pure white. It was made in the Victorian style, so the white underskirt was just tiers of ruffles. The sleeves were short and ruffled as well.

 _I can't wear this. What if I ruin it? I won't look good in it, anyway. Might as well just put it back..._

Before she folded the dress up, she noticed something sparkling in the bottom of the box.

It was a silver necklace with a four leaf clover charm.

Ruri gingerly picked the necklace up and put it to her neck.

 _Well... I guess I can... at least see in the mirror what it looks like._

She walked over to the mirror and put the dress against her body.

As she stared at her reflection, she wondered absently if this really was her.

 _I suppose a dress does a woman make._

Ruri quickly folded the dress and gently placed it back into its box.

She set it on the coffee table in her room and went to go take a shower.

 _I don't belong in something like a fancy-schmancy ball,_ she thought as she turned on the water and pulled off her swimsuit.

As she stepped into the shower a realization hit her.

 _KID was in my room!_

* * *

 _AHAHAHAHAHA! And this is where it ends, my friends. This little arc may become 3 parts, seeing as this one is one I've been wanting to write for a while now. And before anyone asks, Kichirou was not KID. No one was KID. Also, the dress is one I saw on a website called Victorian Choice. If you'd like to see what it looks like, the dress is called: Southern Belle Civil War Ball Gown Formal Dress Steampunk Reenactment Stage Wear. It's pretty much the same dress minus the big bow on the bodice. Anyway, next chapter, the masquerade ball begins! Also, Ruri will not be... attending the heist. I just wanted to let you guys know that. And I just noticed, this is the LONGEST chapter I've written! Woo! Hooray for milestones! I may not make another chapter this long haha_

 _NEXT TIME: HEART OF A GODDESS (PART 2)_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	18. Heart Of A Goddess (Part 2)

Chapter Eighteen

* * *

"Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it."

-Hunter S. Thompson

* * *

Ruri opened her eyes and tried to blink away the sleep. Light streamed through the cracks in the curtains and slightly illuminated the room.

She managed to pull herself out of bed without so much as a groan and made her way to the bathroom for a shower.

After her shower, Ruri felt much more awake and clean. She brushed her teeth and slipped on a shirt matched with some short pants.

Ruri made a cup of tea and stared at white box. She felt like it mocked her a bit.

Pulling on a jacket, she left the room after she finished her tea.

Making her way to the lobby for breakfast, she spotted Kichirou and hid from his sight.

He seemed to be on the phone. Ruri didn't feel like talking to the big creep.

He was probably scheming with the other person on how to torture poor little animals or something, she was sure of it.

She sneakily made her way to the breakfast room and was met by one of the waiters who guided her to an empty table.

* * *

Ruri had managed to ride out the entire day without running into Kichirou. It was about 4pm and the ball was supposed to start in 2 hours.

She sat in the lobby, reading a newspaper. And of course, right on the front page was Jirokichi's challenge to KID.

Ruri had to sigh. He really wasn't going to give up until he caught the thief, was he? She did have to give the old man credit for his persistence though. Ruri would never be able to keep up for that long.

"Ruri-san!" a voice made Ruri look up from the paper.

She smiled when she saw Ran,Conan, and Sonoko walking towards her.

"Ran-san and Conan-kun, hello!" she greeted.

"Have you decided to come to the party?" Ran asked.

"Ah...well..."

Ran grinned. "Sonoko was actually grumbling about giving you a dress."

"I was just saying it was a waste of a girl to not use the opportunity to go!" Sonoko huffed. "And... well, I've got lots of dresses for you to choose from, if you ever... decide you want to go."

Ruri was shocked at first but it quickly turned into a smile. "Thank you, Suzuki-san," she said.

"Just call me Sonoko. And why don't you come up to my room! I've got at least 2 other dresses for you to choose from!" Sonoko pulled on Ruri's hand.

Before she could protest, Ruri was already in the elevator and being pushed into Sonoko's suite.

As Sonoko ran around, Ruri stood next to Conan who seemed bored out of his mind.

She decided to talk with him.

"So... why does Suzuki-san seem so ok with me?" she asked.

Conan glanced upwards and decided to drop the child act for now.

"Ran told Sonoko aaall about you. Since she seemed to like you, I guess Sonoko has no reason to hate you," Conan shrugged.

"Oh," Ruri was kind of flattered. She had no idea Ran talked about her.

"Ruri! Come over and try this one!" Sonoko held out a short white dress with little sequins all over, making it sparkle.

"Um..." Ruri wasn't sure she liked it very much.

"Come on!"

She was pulled into a separate room and the dress was shoved into her hands.

"I don't want to see you come out unless you're wearing that thing!" Sonoko yelled from the other side.

Ruri sighed and began to take off her clothes.

* * *

Ok, Conan had to admit it. Sonoko had good taste in clothing. There. His jaw had almost dropped to the floor when Ruri walked out. The dress itself had looked a little too eye-catching for a shy-looking girl like Ruri, but it actually complimented her looks quite well.

Her brown hair curled right at her shoulders and some strands fell sexily around her neck, bringing out the natural slenderness. Her blue eyes were brought out by the dress' light color and her un-marred skin was a healthy creamy white. The dress stopped right below her thighs, showing off the girls slender legs.

All in all, Ruri was beautiful.

"Oh my god!" Sonoko squealed. "You look amazing in that!"

"You really do, Ruri-san," Ran agreed.

Ruri turned a bright red. "No, no, I don't. You're just saying that," she said as she tried to hide her face.

"We're not! Come take a look in the mirror!" Sonoko practically dragged Ruri to a standing mirror.

Ruri stared in wonder at her reflection.

 _I-It's not as good as the one KID gave me but... I could go in this._

"So? What do you think about going now?" Sonoko asked.

"O-Ok," Ruri nodded.

"Great! Ran and I will go put on our dresses and then we can go!"

Sonoko dragged Ran back into her walk-in closet, Ruri waited patiently.

Conan walked over to the girl who seemed a little out of it.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

Ruri seemed startled by his question.

"I... I'm a little surprised that Suzuki-san is doing all this for me," she mumbled, her face turning a little red.

Conan nodded. Sonoko didn't really seem like that type at first glance.

"You mentioned the person you admire did magic," he commented.

"Oh, yes. He's a bright and fun person. But that's not the reason I admire him. It's because even though his life has been hard, he still dedicates time to making people smile. He doesn't let something tragic get him down."

Conan noticed Ruri's eyes begin to mist over.

"You sound like you like him," he observed.

Ruri smiled. "No, not in that way. I certainly like him, and he makes me flustered at times, but it's not... a sense of love. Besides, he's got someone he loves."

Conan noticed a bit of sadness at the end.

"Ok! We're all ready to go!" Sonoko yelled.

She was wearing a short black dress with a little bow at her waist.

Ran wore a similar looking blue dress that ended just above her calves.

* * *

Ruri glanced around, looking at all the different dresses the women wore. Some were like hers, others were more like the one KID had given her. She assumed those people would be taking part in the ball later.

"Oh, Ruri-chan, you came," a voice came up from behind her.

She whipped around and came face-to-face with Hamasaki Kichirou. He was smiling darkly.

"Oh, yes, I did," she tried to be more assertive.

Kichirou simply licked his lips creepily.

"You just couldn't keep yourself away from me, eh?" he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

Ruri covered her ear and took a few steps backwards and ran into a pillar.

Kichirou crossed the distance between them and blocked Ruri off.

"Why don't we go somewhere more quiet?" he whispered right next to her other ear.

Ruri shivered in disgust.

"I would rather not," she retorted.

Just as she was about to push them away, he tutted.

"Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you," he smirked and gestured to Ran.

Ruri noticed men in other black tuxedos a distance away from her that didn't look like security.

"If you do something bad... I'm not sure I can guarantee what won't happen to her," he chuckled.

"You-"

"Ah, no back-talking," Kichirou cut her off.

He wrapped an arm around Ruri's shoulders and guided her out of the hall.

He had just called an elevator when there was a dull thud and Kichirou was on the ground.

"Jeez, ojou-san. You certainly got yourself into a pickle this time," a smooth voice commented.

Ruri turned to see KID dressed in a black tailcoat, wearing a mask reminiscent of the phantom's mask from Phantom of the Opera. Delicate gold swirls covered the crackle finished ivory mask. He wasn't wearing his white hat, so his wild black(?) hair was slicked back.

"Don't worry, I just knocked him out," he smiled as he pulled out some rope.

He tied the man onto a nearby pillar and turned back to Ruri.

His smile turned into a pout when he saw Ruri wasn't wearing the dress he had given her.

"Why aren't you wearing the one I gave you?" the thief asked.

"I-It stands out too much," she mumbled, trying to keep her legs from shaking.

She apparently wasn't doing too well because KID wrapped her into an embrace.

"You're ok, now," he whispered. "You're ok. I've got you, no worries."

After Ruri was significantly calmer, she pulled herself out his hug.

"What about Ran-san?" she asked.

KID smiled. "Don't worry. I got all of his goons," he assured her.

Ruri breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

KID smiled kindly. "You're welcome."

"Now then," he rubbed his hands together and a big white cloth appeared.

He covered Ruri with the cloth and she felt a breeze wrap around her.

The cloth was retracted and KID tucked it into his sleeve.

"Much better," he grinned.

Ruri looked down. She was wearing the red gown!

"When-" she started to ask when he had gone up to her room to retrieve the dress but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards the hall.

She felt a little weight against her neck and noticed she was wearing the four leaf clover necklace.

When they arrived at the hall, people donning masks and elegant clothing had all gathered in the center while those who didn't wish to participate mingled around the edges.

"Come on, let's dance together," he pulled her into the center just as a waltz started up.

"Do you know how to waltz?" he asked, placing his right hand on her shoulder blade.

"Somewhat," Ruri glanced down at the ground.

"Just follow my lead."

As they danced alongside the other people, Ruri managed to fall into step next to the thief and was able to dance properly. She glanced up at KID who was smirking ever so slightly.

"What are you laughing at?" she pouted. "I know I'm not a good dancer..."

"Oh, not at that," he smiled as he dipped her. "You just look so serious." He pulled her back up.

"What do you mean I look serious?" Ruri asked.

"Just have fun. You're less likely to mess up if you just feel the dancing," he told her. "And in the off chance you DO mess up, I'll be here to help."

Ruri decided to listen to his advice. She stopped looking at her feet and instead tried to look at KID. When that proved _very_ unhelpful, she tried to look at his mask. It really was pretty. The gold trim glimmered and was accented by the crackled ivory.

It took her a while to notice that they were the only ones left dancing. Everyone had formed a circle around them and watched. The music swelled and Ruri felt her heart jump. It... was actually starting to feel fun! At first she was nervous and could only think about not messing up, but after just letting that go, it turned into a wonderful feeling!

"Keep dancing," KID whispered. "The song is almost done."

He spun her outwards just as the orchestra ended with the last quick two notes.

Applause filled the room, overwhelming Ruri. KID took a bow and smiled.

"THERE HE IS!" a voice shouted.

Everyone in the hall turned to the big double door entrance. Nakamori-keibu stood there, red faced and out of breath.

"Well, it seems that this dance has come to an end, ojou-san," KID took her hand and kissed it.

A flash of white and he was back in his signature KID outfit.

"If you arrive quickly enough, perhaps we can have one last dance," he whispered to her before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"After him! He's going to the roof!" Nakamori-keibu shouted and took off for the elevator and stairs.

"Ruri-san!" Ran cried, pushing through the excited crowd. Sonoko followed her, eyes glinting.

"R-Ran-san," Ruri smiled awkwardly.

"You know KID-sama?!" Sonoko demanded.

"Um- no, not really..." Ruri started but Sonoko was already off in her own little world.

"Ah~! To dance with KID-sama~!"

"Ruri-san, that was amazing! I think you won!" Ran smiled and took Ruri's hands.

"Won?" Ruri repeated.

"Yeah. The masquerade ball was a contest," Sonoko told her. "By the way, where did you get that dress?"

But Ruri wasn't listening.

 _It was a contest?! I was being judged?! When?! I thought it was just for fun!_

Her head began to swim. What snapped her back to reality was what KID had said right before he left.

"If I arrive quickly enough..." she mumbled.

"Ruri-san?" Ran asked.

Ruri began to run off. "I'm sorry! I just remembered something I have to do!"

She headed for the elevator and slammed the 'Up' button. As soon as the doors opened, she hit the number 21, the floor closest to the roof. She waited for the familiar 'ding' as the doors opened to reveal all of the task force members stuck in what looked like an assortment of different traps.

Nakamori-keibu seemed to be stuck in a particularly nasty one involving glitter and bouncy balls by the looks of it. And glue. Lots and lots of glue.

She managed to pick her way through the traps and not set any of the remaining ones off as she headed for the last few flights of stairs.

She swung the door to the roof open and a gust of cool night air almost blew her off her feet.

"Whoops," a voice laughed as a hand caught her arm and steadied her. "We can't have you getting hurt, now can we?"

Ruri looked up into laughing indigo eyes.

"Thanks," she breathed as KID helped her onto the roof.

"You came in time," he chuckled.

"Well, I can't very well turn down an invitation given to me by the Moonlight Magician himself, now can I?" Ruri laughed.

He smiled. "How about that dance?"

Ruri nodded, glad it was a full moon.

As they danced in time to a song only they could hear, Ruri remembered what Ran had said.

"Did you know that the ball was a competition?" she asked.

KID hummed. "Maybe."

Ruri sighed. "You totally did."

"It IS my job to know everything, you know," he smirked.

She laughed. "That's true."

Ruri and KID stopped dancing as a cloud covered the moon.

"I think I can hear the task force getting out of those traps," he smiled.

"KID!"

"Yup," Ruri agreed.

He took off his hat and bowed, standing on the edge of the roof.

Nakamori-keibu came up behind Ruri.

"Well, keibu-san, I think it's time for me to take my leave. Since The Heart Of Aphrodite is not what I'm looking for, I have returned it." KID winked to Ruri.

Ruri glanced down at her hands to find the jewel sparkling in her hands.

"Farewell and have a good evening!" KID jumped off the roof and was soon nothing more than a white triangle in the distance.

"AFTER HIM!" Nakamori-keibu yelled, pointing to the entrance of the roof.

* * *

"Ruri-san! Where did you go?" Ran asked, worried. "You just barely made it in time for the winners to be announced!"

Ruri nodded and followed the girl back into the hall.

"As for our grand prize winner and the couple who gets crowned as the _Godly Pair,_ the award goes to Yukihisa Ruri-sama and Phantom-sama!"

Applause and cheers rang through the room as the spotlight whisked over to land on Ruri.

"If you please, to claim your prize, Yukihisa-sama, step up onto the pedestal."

Ruri slowly made her way through the clapping crowd and walked up the steps onto the pedestal. She was handed a bouquet of flowers and a trophy.

"Ano... where is Phantom-sama?" the announcer asked.

"He's gone," Ruri answered simply. "After all, he can't exactly come back when everyone knows he's KID."

"Do you know him personally?" he asked.

Ruri shook her head. She'd rather not become the target of raging fans. And the Black Organization.

"Well... I can't exactly call only you the _Godly Pair..._ " the man trailed off.

"Then give it to the people who came 2nd. I don't need the trophy or the title. Or even the bouquet," she handed the things back to him.

She quickly walked off the stage and out of the hall. She spotted Jirokichi standing near the door.

"Here," she pulled out the pink sapphire.

He blinked and took it from her.

"Do you know that thief?" he asked after inspecting the jewel.

"Not personally, no," Ruri shook her head.

Just as she was about to walk off, he stopped her.

"Take these," he handed her an envelope.

"They're vouchers that can be redeemed at any of the Suzuki Group's hotels for a full spa treatment and room service for 3 days and 2 nights. They were meant for the winning pair as a 2 person stay, but you can bring your family. Take it as my thanks for retrieving my jewel. And for the lovely dance."

Ruri stood in silence as the old man walked off, leaving her with the envelope.

* * *

Conan had watched the two dance on the roof. He hadn't wanted to interrupt. It seemed like they knew each other... But was it personally or more like him and the thief? Purely through trying to thwart theft? And he had seen the men surrounding Ran earlier. KID had taken care of them and then disappeared, only to reappear dancing with Ruri. And Ruri...what was she? Was she in league with the Black Organization? He'd have to ask Ai about anyone matching Ruri's description... He secretly hoped not. He kind of liked the girl.

* * *

 _ANNNNNNND IT'S DONE! THIS ARC HAS FINISHED! WOO! Also, 3000+ WORDS EVERYBODY! THIS CHAPTER SURPASSED THE LAST ONE BY OVER 1000 WORDS! OH MY GOD, I AM FEELING SO ACCOMPLISHED! NEXT ARC WILL BE MORE SHORT STORIES AND THEN A MURDER~! I HOPE YOU LOOK FORWARD TO IT!_

 _NEXT TIME: VALENTINE'S DAY! (this timeline is so messed up i'm sorry)_

 _DFTBA EVERYBODY!_


	19. St Valentine's

Chapter Nineteen

* * *

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

-Charles M. Schulz

* * *

Ruri watched Aoko read a little magazine detailing how to make chocolate.

She had this very serious expression on her face that made Ruri almost laugh. The magazine had pictures of chocolates that ranged from simple to pro confectioner level.

After Ruri had arrived from the resort, it was practically Valentine's Day already. The girls had all but disappeared into the Home Ec. classrooms to start working on their chocolates.

"So, are you thinking of making any chocolate, Ruri-chan?" Aoko asked, briefly looking up from the magazine.

"Well, I don't think I'll be making anything other than giri* choco..." Ruri replied.

"That's such a waste! You really don't have anyone to give it to?" Aoko put the magazine down in order to grill her friend better.

Ruri shook her head. "Not really."

"No one? REALLY?"

"Really."

Aoko sat in silence, contemplating something.

"Then how about we make the chocolates at your house?" she suggested.

* * *

"Ok, chocolate powder, eggs, flour, water, milk, butter, sugar... did I miss anything?" Ruri looked over the ingredients that were spread out along the kitchen counter.

"Nope! I think we've got it all!" Aoko cheered happily.

"Ooh! Are you girls making chocolate for Valentine's Day?" Aki popped into the kitchen.

"Yup!" Aoko smiled.

"If you need help, just give me a call!" Aki grinned. "Oh, I remember the first time I gave Tomo chocolate!" she laughed as she left.

Ruri picked up the measuring cup. "First we need 16 oz of cocoa powder..."

She poured the bag of powder into the cup and stopped at the appropriate line. She poured the powder into the mixing bowl.

"Next is 3 oz of butter..."

That went into the mix as well.

"Third, put into blender and blend until mixture is a fine paste."

Ruri pulled out the blender and dumped the butter and cocoa powder inside.

She turned it on and watched it blend.

"Next put 8oz of water in a pot along with the paste and heat until hot but not boiling..."

She put the water and paste inside a small pot and turned on the fire.

The two girls waited a while as the mixture started to warm.

Ruri turned the fire off as tiny bubbles started to rise. She took the pot and poured the heated chocolate back into the mixing bowl.

"Put the mixture back into the bowl and add 5 1/2 oz of milk, 2 oz of flour, and 4 oz of sugar."

Aoko poured the ingredients in after Ruri measured them.

They used a spoon to take turns mixing all the ingredients together.

"And then we use our hands to get all the lumps!" Aoko cried, grinning.

The girls plunged their hands into mix and started getting the chocolate all over themselves.

"Done!" Ruri grinned when the chocolate was thoroughly mixed and all the lumps were gone.

"And for the finishing touch, we pour the chocolate into the shapes and pop them into the fridge!" Aoko pulled out little pans in the shape of hearts and doves.

Ruri poured the chocolate into the pans and placed them gently inside the fridge to cool.

"And now for the icing!"

* * *

Ruri used the white icing bag to write Kaito and Hakuba on the two of her chocolates shaped like doves.

"You're really only giving them doves?" Aoko asked, decorating her own chocolates.

Ruri nodded. "I don't want to... you know," she shrugged.

Aoko nodded wisely and went back to decorating her chocolate.

Ruri reached for the pink icing bag and began to draw little ribbons around the doves' necks.

"How cute!" Aoko cried, looking over.

Ruri glanced at Aoko's.

Hers were chocolate hearts with little decorations all over surrounding the boys' names.

"Yours are too," Ruri smiled.

"Thanks!"

Ruri leaned back and took a deep breath. "Finally!"

She reached for the little boxes that she had bought earlier on their way to her house. They were a light pink with a cute baby blue ribbon in the corner.

"Here are yours," she set two of the four boxes next to Aoko.

Aoko nodded, still decorating her chocolate.

Ruri gently placed the doves inside the boxes and grabbed the bags. She took two little cards out of the bags and began writing.

"To Kaito," the blue one read.

"To Hakuba," the white one read.

Ruri handed Aoko a similar pair of cards.

She placed the chocolate into the bags and tied the cards to the handles of the bags with pink ribbons. Looking over, Ruri noticed Aoko had started packing away hers as well.

"Done?" she asked once Aoko had finished tying the ribbons.

She shook her head and pulled out some stickers.

"Just to make sure we don't get them mixed up!" Aoko smiled.

Ruri nodded and took the stickers with cats on them. She placed a white Persian on Hakuba's while a blue Russian decorated Kaito's.

Aoko had decorated hers with gems. A sapphire was on Kaito's and a diamond was placed on Hakuba's.

"Now we're done!" Aoko cheered, stretching.

* * *

"Here you go, Kuroba-san," Ruri handed Kaito a little red bag.

He took it and peered inside.

"Chocolate!" his eyes lit up and he hugged Ruri.

Hakuba walked over and Ruri took the chance to hand his chocolate to the blond.

"This one's yours," she said, holding out the other red bag.

He took it and smiled. "Thank you, Ruri-san."

Kaito released Ruri finally and bounded off to Aoko who swung her chocolate at him in frustration but the magician caught the bag with practiced ease.

Aoko handed the other bag to Hakuba who once again smiled and thanked her.

Ruri giggled several times as she watched different girls give both Kaito and Hakuba chocolate with blushing faces.

Kaito gave each girl a flower while Hakuba turned his cool guy charm all the way up.

Akako tried on several different occasions to get Kaito to take her chocolate. (All of her attempts ended in him running at the speed of sound in the opposite direction)

* * *

"So? Who got more chocolate?" Kaito looked over Hakuba's shoulder.

He didn't answer, simply staring down at his notepad.

"We... got the same... Kuroba," Hakuba finally ground out.

Kaito blinked.

"Why?" he sobbed dramatically, falling onto the floor.

His drama was quickly ended with a mop to the head.

"Hey!" he protested, holding the bump with his hand.

"That's what you get for treating it like a game!" Aoko stuck her tongue out, mop posed for more beatings.

"It's not my fault! Hakuba said he would definitely get more and I told him that was impossible!" Kaito told her.

"You probably would've won had you taken Akako's chocolate," Ruri commented.

Kaito fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'm not touching her chocolate with a ten foot pole."

* * *

 _*Giri chocolate: lit. obligation chocolate. It's given to a guy when a girl doesn't have any romantic feelings for him. I made Ruri's giri chocolate in the shape of doves since I didn't want them to be romantic or anything._

 _AAAAAAAAND here it is! I hope you enjoyed this VERY early Valentine's Day thing...y. I dunno. I just wanted to make it. The next chapter will be another little filler chapter, followed by another one, and then a DC murder episode! I still haven't figured out which one I want, so all of you can give suggestions! I just need them to be not obviously winter or early spring...seeing as we're already past that part. Also! That chocolate recipe I used is real! You can make actual chocolate with it!_

 _I also recommend listening Tonogata Gomen Asobase (Gentlemen, I'm Sorry) by Shouko Minami (from Urusei Yatsura) for a more fun feel to this. (I'm actually going to recommend listening to that, Hoshizora Cycling, Open Invitation, Pajama Jama Da, and Triangle Love Letter as you read this series. Particularly Triangle Love Letter. That song is just so upbeat and FUN!)_

 _TIME TO GO WATCH SOME MACROSS PLUS! :D_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	20. Shocking Confession!

Chapter Twenty

* * *

"I love the ending of a movie where two people end up together. Preferably if there's rain and an airport or running or a confession of love."

-Taylor Swift

* * *

"I've liked you ever since I saw you in our bookstore!"

Ruri stood dumbfounded in front of the school gate along with Aoko and Kaito.

"Um, who are you?" she asked, quite confused.

The young man straightened himself. "My name is Higashiyama Touma! Please go out with me!"

Ruri thought the young man looked familiar and now she knew why. He was the grandson of the elderly couple who ran the bookstore near her house.

"Um, Higashiyama-san-"

"Call me Touma!"

"Er, Touma-san, did you ask...um...me out?" Ruri tried to croak out.

Touma nodded vigorously, his brown hair whipping about.

"I um... well-" she started to stammer and turn red.

"You don't have to give me your answer now. Just tell me whenever," he told her before running off.

Aoko turned to Ruri with sparkles in her eyes.

"What was that about, Ruri-chan?!" she demanded.

"Touma-san is the grandson of the owners of a bookstore I frequent..." Ruri trailed off after noticing the pure murder in Kaito's eyes.

He was still smiling, but that just made it look even creepier.

"What are you going to do?" Aoko asked, still quite ecstatic.

"I... don't know..."

* * *

"EH?! You got confessed to?!" Aki dropped the piece of fish she had picked up.

Ruri nodded shyly.

"Tomo! Did you hear that?!" Aki shook Tomoharu's arm who didn't have any emotion on his face.

"I did," he said, his voice completely void of emotion.

Aki took no notice of this and went on about how her little girl was finally growing up.

 _I never would've expected this to happen..._

* * *

"Ruri-chan!" Touma called as she walked through the door of the bookstore.

Ruri smiled and waved.

"How are you, Touma-san?" she asked once she was close enough.

"Much better, now that you're here!" he grinned.

Ruri blushed.

That was when Touma noticed a little white dove sitting on the windowsill.

"What's this?" he walked over to the window and opened it.

The dove cooed and hopped over to Ruri.

At first, Ruri was reluctant to let it come anywhere near her, but then she saw a little bump on the dove's leg.

 _Ah._

"Come here," she said softly, extending her hand.

The dove hopped onto the outstretched limb and up her arm where it sat on her shoulder.

"Is that your dove?" Touma asked.

Ruri shook her head.

Touma scratched his head, mystified that the bird seemed so relaxed around humans.

"By the way, we got a shipment of that new book by your favorite author," he said, walking to the counter and pulling up a box filled with books.

"Oh!" Ruri's eyes lit up.

Touma pulled out a book and set it on the counter.

"Do you want to buy it now?" he asked.

She nodded, pulling out her purse.

"That'll be 2419 yen," he said as the cashier dinged.

Ruri handed him the money and he put the book in a little paper bag.

Just as she headed towards the door, he called out again.

"Ruri-chan!"

She turned to look at the older man.

"What do you say to a date this Sunday?" he asked, fidgeting.

Ruri started to decline but he cut her off.

"I just want one date! If you say no after it, I won't bother you again! I promise!" he pleaded.

She felt bad, so she nodded.

"Alright."

As Ruri walked away from the store, she could hear a loud, "Yes!" from inside.

She walked to a nearby park and sat down on one of the benches, the dove still happily sitting on her shoulder.

After handing the dove some leftover cream bread she had, Ruri pulled out a slip of paper and started writing.

When she was done, she rolled it up and held it in front of the dove.

"Could you take this back to him?" she asked, when it looked at her.

It quickly finished the bread and took the paper in its mouth. With a flap of white wings, the dove was off, carrying the paper back to its master.

* * *

Kaito unrolled the paper and stared at it.

"There's no need to watch. I'm fine," it said in beautiful cursive English.

He laughed a bit and stroked the dove's head gently.

"Thanks," he told it and the bird cooed in response.

* * *

 _A CHAPTER IS DONE AND I'M SO STRESSED OUT ABOUT SCHOOL. IT'S MY LAST YEAR AND I START TOMORROW. Which is why I'm probably not going to update with as much frequency as I first did. I'll try to at least update every month! DX The most frequent will probably be every week, and maybe twice a week if we're lucky and I have nothing to do! So let's cross our fingers and hope, ok?_

 _Also, I'm sorry I introduced another character, but I had this idea about Kaito getting jealous of Ruri getting confessed to and this was born. I'm so sorry. The next little break chapter will probably be a summer one... maybe a Tanabata Matsuri chapter? Actually, I'll list some ideas below, and I'll write the one that gets the most votes! How's that?_

 _Choices:_

 _Tanabata Festival (with Ekoda gang; i.e. Aoko, Kaito, Hakuba)_

 _Beach (with Ekoda gang)_

 _Pool (with Beika gang and Heiji; i.e. Ran, Suzuki, Conan, and Heiji)_

 _Karaoke (with Beika gang)_

 _xXx_

 _After the next big arc, Ruri will have her own run-in with the Black Organization and hopefully we'll start to get more into the plot! (Meaning she'll most likely meet Ai and learn about Conan/Shinichi and be a bigger help to him)_

 _Hopefully some time soon, she'll be able to have some moments with Shinichi! (They need to formally meet...)_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: RURI'S DATE_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	21. Ruri's Date

Chapter Twenty-One

* * *

"I hate being the heartbreaker. Hate it. If I date somebody and it doesn't work out, it's another nightmare for me."

-John Mayer

* * *

Ruri stood outside the amusement park dressed in a simple cream colored dress (the one from her birthday). The emeralds from the clover hairpins sparkled under the sunlight.

"Ruri-chan!"

Touma ran up to her, wearing a tight black sweater and pants.

"Sorry. Baa-chan wouldn't let me go. Did you wait long?"

Ruri shook her head. "It was only for a few minutes. I don't mind."

"Then let's go!" Touma grinned and took her hand, pulling her to the ticket booth.

* * *

"Those hairpins look really cute," Touma pointed at the clovers in Ruri's hair.

"Thank you," Ruri smiled. "It was a birthday gift."

"Birthday gift?!" Touma's eyes bugged in shock. "I had no idea! Let me get you a gift!"

He ran into one of the gift shops and pulled Ruri in with him.

"Pick something out. I'll get it for you," he smiled, spreading his arms out.

"No, I couldn't," Ruri shook her head.

"Go ahead! Don't worry about money or anything!" he pulled her along the shelves.

Ruri spotted a shelf lined up with medium sized plushies. She slowly walked over and picked up one.

It was a white rabbit wearing a white top hat with a white cape and a monocle, grinning a very familiar grin.

"You want that one?" Touma asked. "I guess you're a KID fan, huh?"

"Eh?" she looked up at her date.

"Yeah. The Funtom company decided to make a line of rabbits featuring the thief."

She stared at the rabbit for a little while longer before it was plucked out of her hands.

"Why don't we get you a different one?" Touma placed the rabbit back on the shelf.

He plucked a brown rabbit wearing a purple bow and headed to the cashier.

He came back once it was paid for and handed it to Ruri.

"This one reminds me of you," he grinned.

* * *

The two sat in the ferris wheel, watching the fireworks go off.

Ruri did her best to keep her fear and anxiety under control as the gondola rose higher into the sky. She clutched the rabbit to her chest for comfort.

Touma didn't seem to notice, as he was too busy watching the fireworks.

The show ended just as their gondola reached the platform and they had to get off.

Touma stretched as Ruri tried not to collapse.

"Are you alright, miss?" a hand was extended her way.

Ruri turned to see a man who looked to be in his early 20's, maybe mid 20's, with pitch black hair and brown eyes.

"I'm fine, thank you," she shook her head at the man's outstretched hand and it was quickly retracted.

"Well, I hope you feel a bit better," the man smiled warmly before glancing at Touma and walking off.

"He glared at me!" Touma gritted his teeth once the man was out of sight.

Ruri looked up at the young man. "Really?"

Touma nodded.

* * *

"How was today?" Touma asked, as they walked through the park.

"It was fun," Ruri smiled. "And thank you for the rabbit."

"I hear a 'but' in there..."

"Well..."

Ruri hesitated and turned to face the man.

"I don't think I can go out with you."

Touma's face fell. "Why not?"

"I... like you, but not that way," she explained.

"As a friend, huh?" Touma smiled sadly.

Ruri nodded.

"That's fine. Ah~! At least I had a good date with you!" he stretched his arms and grinned.

"I had fun today," Ruri hugged Touma.

"Oi, you're going to give me the wrong idea, here," Touma joked, but he hugged her back.

"At least let me walk you back?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"Sure," Ruri smiled.

* * *

"How was your date, Ruri?" Aki asked, hugging the girl.

"It was fine, okaa-sama," Ruri smiled. "I turned him down though."

Aki pouted. "Why? Touma-kun is a good kid!"

A flash of realization. "You've got someone else on your mind!" Aki grinned mischievously.

Ruri sputtered. "That's not it!"

Aki's grin got even wider. She ran into the living room where Tomoharu sat, watching T.V.

"Tomo~! Ruri's got a man on her mind!"

Ruri shook her head and walked up to her room.

She opened the door and the first thing she saw was the KID rabbit from the park, sitting happily on her bed.

A little white card was placed in its paw.

Ruri took the card and began to read.

"I saw you admiring this plushie at the park earlier.

It was a shame he didn't get it for you, since you seemed to like it.

KID"

Ruri covered her face with her hand.

"It was yoooou..." she groaned, remembering the man who had offered his hand to her.

She glanced over at the rabbit who smirked at her.

The girl placed the brown rabbit next to the white one and stared at them. She stared at them with narrowed eyes.

Ruri scooted the brown rabbit closer to the white one until the were almost touching. Then the rabbit fell onto the white one, causing Ruri to frantically try to upright it.

"I'm acting like a love-struck middle schooler!" she groaned, sitting on the corner of her bed, face in her hands.

Ruri pulled the clovers out of her hair and held them in her hand.

"A birthday present..."

She smiled before going to change into her pajamas and get ready for bed.

* * *

"So how was the date?" Aoko asked, practically jumping up and down.

"We're not an item," Ruri scooted her seat out from under her desk.

"Why?"

"I didn't like him that way," she explained.

"So you turned him down?" Kaito walked over to the girls and sat on Ruri's desk.

Ruri nodded.

"Ok," the magician started doing magic tricks with his right hand.

* * *

 _YAY! I MANAGED TO GET A CHAPTER DONE! HALLELUJAH! *cough* Ok, well, so far I've got one vote for the pool and another one that's indecisive. I'll keep it open until next weekend but then! I shall write the next chapter. I'm already planning out Ruri's big BO run-in. If anyone has any ideas please, tell me! It might be the longest chapter yet! GO VOTE ON MY PROFILE! THERE'S A POLL THAT IS OPEN UNTIL NEXT WEEK!_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: ?_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE!_


	22. Pool Break

Chapter Twenty-Two

* * *

 _OH MY GOD, I AM SO SORRY GUYS. I intended to get this out about Friday, but my internet wasn't working! And then we had a terrible electrical storm on Saturday that killed my internet completely up until earlier today! I'll start working on the next chapter immediately and send it out ASAP! I'M SO SORRY!_

* * *

"Chance is always powerful. Let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be fish."

-Ovid

* * *

"How would you like to go with Sonoko, Conan-kun, and I to the pool this Tuesday?"

Ruri read the little message on her phone, thrilled to be invited to something.

"Oh, and Conan-kun says that a friend of his will be joining us"

A friend? Could it be Ai?

"I'd be honored to go" Ruri typed.

Ran's reply was almost immediate.

"There's no need to be so formal! We're friends!"

"Oh, sorry, Ran-san"

"No problem see you at 9?"

"9"

With the invitation taken, Ruri smiled and almost skipped in happiness.

* * *

Ruri stood near the train station with her duffle bag slung over her shoulder.

"Ruri-chan!" Ran's familiar voice made Ruri look around.

She spotted the girl waving and began to make her way over.

"How was the trip from Ekoda?" Ran asked after the two girls hugged.

"Rather uneventful, thankfully," Ruri smiled.

"I know what you mean," Ran agreed, nodding.

"Ready to head over to the pool? Sonoko and the others are already there."

Ruri nodded, readjusting the strap draped over her shoulder.

They headed for the bus that would take them to the pool.

* * *

"Ran!" Sonoko's voice pierced Ruri's ears more than necessary when the girl spotted her brunette friend.

"Hi, Ruri!" the blonde greeted when the girls all came together.

"Hello, Suzuki-san," Ruri bowed.

"Just call me Sonoko!" the girl waved the politeness off.

"Sonoko-san," Ruri corrected.

Sonoko grinned. "Better!"

"Shall we get going? The boys are waiting for us inside," Sonoko jerked her thumb towards the entrance of the pool.

"Boys?" Ruri asked, blinking.

"Mmhm," Sonoko hummed, already making her way to the entrance.

The three girls paid for their tickets and walked to where Conan was waiting.

The little boy was standing next to a taller tanned boy and seemed rather peeved.

 _Is that...?_

"Conan-kun!" Ran called, making the boys turn around.

 _Yup, that's Heiji._

"Ruri-chan!" Heiji smiled and waved when he spotted the aforementioned girl.

"Hello, Hattori-san," Ruri smiled and waved.

"Ruri-neesan, you know Heiji-niisan?" Conan asked, tilting his head.

"That's right. He helped me out when I was lost in Osaka," Ruri told the younger looking boy.

Conan glanced over at Heiji who began to chat with Ruri.

"Well, we need to go put our swimsuits on, so you guys wait here, ok?" Sonoko told the boys.

* * *

"What do you think of Ruri?" Conan asked, once the girls were inside the changing room.

"Ruri?" Heiji looked over at the other detective.

Conan nodded.

Heiji thought for a moment. "She's a good kid."

"You don't think she's connected to _them_ do you?" the Osakan asked after a second.

"...I don't know," Conan sighed.

"I don't think she is."

Conan looked at him in shock. "And why do you think that? We have no evidence proving that she isn't."

"We have no evidence pointing that she is, either," the tanned detective pointed out. "Don't stress over it too much. Besides, I'm almost 90% certain that she isn't."

Conan huffed. "And what makes you so sure?"

"Gut feeling."

Conan's hand slapped against his face. "Why did I expect anything different..."

"Look, Kudou, it's not like you to be this hot-headed," Heiji squatted down to the shrunken detective's level. "That's my job. Until you find evidence against her, Ruri's just another friend, ok?"

The Heisei Holmes took a moment to realize that Heiji, _**Heiji**_ , had been the voice of reason. He really wasn't himself today.

"You're right, as much as I hate to admit it," the boy turned away.

"What are you two talking about?" Sonoko's voice shocked both boys from their talking and they turned around to face her.

Sonoko had her hands on her hips, wearing a very flashy, and kind of skimpy, orange bikini.

Ran wore a blue bikini with a black fish on the top part.

Ruri had a simple and modest dark blue one piece on.

"N-Nothing!" Heiji stuttered.

Sonoko narrowed her eyes. "Really?"

Conan nodded. "Un!"

* * *

"Ne, Ruri-neesan?" Conan walked up to the girl.

"Yes, Conan-kun?" Ruri squatted down into the water.

"Can you tell me more about the person you admire?"

"Eh?" Ruri blinked. "Well I-"

"Please?" Conan begged.

Ruri noticed he was still in his child "mode".

"Um, ok," she smiled.

"Yay! Can we talk over there?" Conan pointed to their little site where their bags sat.

"Sure."

She followed the boy as they made their way to the towels.

The teenager turned child let out a big sigh as he plopped onto his small white towel.

"So," he sat up, his voice dropping a few registers.

"The person I admire, right?" Ruri smiled.

Conan blinked. "Sure."

"Well, I already told you that he's a magician and he's always making people happy… Did I mention that he's probably the biggest prankster I have ever known?"

Conan's eyes widened.

"He once taped a classmate to the ceiling for stealing his newspaper," Ruri giggled, remembering the hilarious sight.

"He sounds more insane than anything," the boy snorted.

"Probably," Ruri laughed.

"How come you don't question it?"

Ruri stopped laughing. "What?"

"Even though I obviously change personalities, you don't ask," Conan stared at the girl, hoping for something that might give her away.

Ruri didn't answer for a while and looked away.

"Because you have your reasons," she finally said.

Conan blinked.

"You're obviously a lot smarter than others, so you must have some reason for doing this," she turned back to him.

Conan noticed she didn't say kids.

"Everyone has their reasons for doing certain things. Be it someone who is rude and never smiles. They maybe had a traumatic past that makes them put up a shield in order to not get hurt. Everyone has reasons and I'd rather not dig. I'll just offer them the same kindness that everyone deserves. Of course, it's up to them if they decide to take it."

The girl smiled. "The same goes for you, Conan."

The boy turned away. He felt embarrassed to have even thought that Ruri was a member of the Black Organization.

"...thanks..."he mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. So, are we friends yet?" Ruri laughed.

"Sure," Conan smiled.

"What are ya two talking about?" Heiji walked over to the detective and girl.

"Nothing much," Ruri told him. "I was just telling Conan about the person I admire."

"And what're they like?" Heiji asked, plopping down onto his own towel.

"He's a magician and a HUGE prankster," Ruri giggled.

"Really? Sounds like my kinda guy," the Osakan laughed.

"I'm sure you'd like him. Actually, you've already seen him."

"I have?" Heiji asked.

"Remember my friends that came into the police station back in Osaka?" Ruri asked.

Heiji nodded.

"The boy with the wild brown hair was the one."

"The one with the wild hair... oh!" His eyes lit up. "I remember!"

Ruri smiled.

"He was the one that looked ready to blow up!"

"Ah," Ruri fell over a bit. "Aha... that was because he was just worried."

"Huh..."

"Hey! What're you doing, just sitting there?" Sonoko yelled from her spot for guy watching.

"She's right! We have a chance to be at the pool, so we should use it!" Ruri stood up, pulling Conan's arm so that he was also standing.

"How about we go to that big slide over there?" she asked, pointing to a big spiraling yellow slide made of plastic.

Conan looked up at the girl with big inquisitive eyes.

"I know you may not want to go, but just humor me for a little bit!" Ruri pouted.

He sighed. "Ok."

"Yay!" Ruri cheered.

Heiji laughed.

"Can I come with?" he asked, getting up.

"Sure!"

* * *

The sun was setting on another summer day, but Ruri didn't have those pesky feelings of not having done something. Instead, she felt insanely tired.

Playing with Heiji was WAY more tiring than she ever would have thought.

He sat next to her on the bus as they headed to the train station.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked when he noticed Ruri's drooping head.

"Yeah… just tired," she told him.

"I know what you mean," he laughed, stretching.

"So how do you know Conan-kun?" Ruri asked.

"Hm? Well… It's a long story so I won't bother you with it. But, basically, I heard about a really good detective and wanted to challenge him. That's when I first met him," Heiji scratched his cheek.

"Oh."

An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

"Hey…" Heiji started.

"Yes?" Ruri asked.

"Um, well… will you please look out for Ku- Conan with me?" he asked, clapping his hands together.

"Of course."

Heiji looked at the girl.

"That's what friends do, right?" she tilted her head.

"Ah… yeah…" Heiji was dumbfounded.

Ruri had barely hesitated in giving him her answer. While Kudou had his reasons for being paranoid, Heiji brain began to tell him to be cautious around her while his gut screamed "Trust her! She's not a bad person!" It was an odd feeling.

"We have arrived at Beika Train Station. All passengers leaving, please have a wonderful day," the intercom crackled as the bus stopped and the doors opened.

Ruri and Heiji grabbed their bags and stepped of the bus.

"You're going back to Osaka, right?" Ruri asked as they bought their tickets.

Heiji nodded. "Yup."

"And you're going back to Ekoda?"

"That's right."

"Well... have a safe trip back, ok?" Heiji told her.

"Of course. The same goes for you, Hattori-san," Ruri smiled.

Heiji felt his heart practically pound against his chest. "H-Heiji is just fine..." he mumbled, looking away.

"Heiji-san."

The Osakan felt his heart jump and his face heat up. What was wrong with him? He had Kazuha...right?

"Well, I have to go, so stay safe, ok, Heiji-san?" Ruri told him before running off.

"Ah...yeah..."

* * *

"So, were there any cute boys?" Aki asked as Ruri set her duffle bag down.

"There was a 6 year old... does that count?" Ruri countered.

"A 6 year old?"

"Yeah. One of the girls is taking care of a little boy for his parents in America."

"America?!"

"Yup."

"Were there any boys there around your age?" Aki sighed.

"One."

Ruri's mother's eyes lit up. "Ooh! Was he cute?"

"He was from Osaka."

"An accent! How interesting!"

"Really?" Ruri looked over at her mother in confusion.

"Don't worry about your mother too much. She's just crazy," Tomoharu walked in and ruffled his wife's hair.

"Oh? Says the man who was quite crazy just-"

Aki was cut off as Tomoharu's hand snaked around to cover her mouth, effectively cutting her off.

"Anyway, Ruri, Aki and I have something important to tell you," Tomoharu cleared his throat while retracting his hand.

"What is it?" Ruri asked.

"Well... we'll be going to America for the unforeseeable future," he said.

Ruri dropped her duffle bag.

* * *

 _CLIFFHANGER~ Ok, so as promised,_ _next chapter will be the start of a murder mystery! And as for which murder... well, I decided to go with episode 527: The Malice Behind The Masque. So, I guess look forward to that...?_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: THE MALICE BEHIND THE MASQUE (PART 1)_

 _DFTBA EVERYBODY!_


	23. The Malice Behind the Masque (Part 1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

* * *

"We all have a social mask, right? We put it on, we go out, put our best foot forward, our best image. But behind that social mask is a personal truth, what we really, really believe about who we are and what we're capable of."

-Phil McGraw

* * *

"AMERICA?!" Ruri yelled, slamming her hands against the table.

Tomoharu and Aki flinched.

"You didn't even think to-" Ruri was cut off as tears began to fall.

She wiped them angrily away with enough force to bruise.

"Ruri- we're sorry, please, believe us. Your obaa-san needs us to-"

"You didn't think to tell me until it was literally time for you to go?" Ruri growled, tears still falling.

"We're sorry, Ruri..." Aki tried, before Tomoharu's hand was on her shoulder and he was shaking his head.

"Just go already..." Ruri mumbled.

"Ruri..."

"Take care of yourself, ok?" Tomoharu asked, as he picked up his black suitcase and Aki's red one.

Ruri sat silently at the table until she heard the door close and the lock click.

* * *

"A ticket to see a silent play?" Ruri looked at the slip of paper in her hand

Hakuba nodded. "I was wondering if you would like to go with me."

"What play?" she asked.

"The Triumph of Folly," the London detective smiled.

"A John Benson play...huh?"

Hakuba smiled. "I knew you'd recognize it."

"Well... I don't have anything going on... so why not?" Ruri smiled.

Hakuba hoped Ruri would cheer up. She had come to class with red eyes and a tired look on her face. Kaito had already given her a white rose and she gave him this fake smile that even Aoko knew something was obviously wrong.

* * *

"Sorry, but it seems I won't be able to make it. Something just came up. Go ahead and watch it if you want to"

Ruri silently read the text on her phone and sighed.

"Well, I guess I'll just go inside..."

Ruri shoved her phone into her pocket and walked inside the theatre.

She took a seat and waited for the play to begin.

The lights began to dim and the curtain rose.

* * *

Ruri watched as the two actors fought with amazing skill and was enraptured by the way the rapiers clanged together.

The actor wearing the owl mask suddenly managed to catch the other's rapier and flung it away. The other actor wearing a white and red mask (Ruri wasn't sure what kind of bird it was supposed to be) slumped down and began some hand motions to signify wanting forgiveness.

The owl masked actor simply plunged his sword into the other actor's chest, making him slump over.

The actor started laughing and lifted his arms in triumph as the background flashed with lightning. When the spotlights turned back on, the actor was gone.

* * *

The king sat down on his throne and began to pour himself a toast. He lifted the cup to his lips and drank. But the moment was short lived when the cup clanged against the stage and the king clutched at his chest before reaching for the sky and falling.

The lights came back on slowly and all the guests began to filter out through the exits. Just as Ruri was about to do the same, she spotted some familiar backs just a few rows down.

She started to make her way down to greet Kogorou, Ran, and Conan.

"Ran-san?" she called as she stood outside the aisle.

Ran turned to look at her.

"Ruri-chan!" Ran smiled and got up. "What a coincidence!"

Ruri smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Otou-san got a job from Shimizu-san here and Conan-kun and I decided to tag along!" Ran said. "What are you doing here, Ruri-chan?"

"I was invited to go with a classmate of mine, but he said he had some things to do," Ruri explained.

"So you're all alone here?" Ran asked.

Ruri nodded.

"Ne, Otou-san, do you mind if Ruri-chan tags along? She's a good detective in her own right, so maybe she can help you!" Ran turned to Kogorou.

"Well..." he started.

"How about Conan-kun and I just hang out?" Ruri asked.

"As long as it gets the brat away from me, I don't care," Kogorou huffed.

"At least stick with us for a while!" Ran protested.

"I..."

"Otou-san!" Ran turned back to Kogorou.

"Ok, ok..." he sighed.

* * *

After investigating the lift and the prop room with Kogorou and Ran, Ruri found herself hiding in the prop room near Conan, under a clothed table.

"I knew we'd end up doing some independent investigating..." she laughed nervously.

"Shh!" Conan hissed.

The door to the prop room slid open and Ruri shut her mouth obediently.

Soft footsteps tapped against the floor and the sound of a sword being drawn filled Ruri with panic.

"By switching this rapier with the real one, Robert will..."

Ruri's eyes widened as she heard the sword being sheathed.

"Kyoko... Although I may not know where you are now... I only hope you will see tomorrow's news."

Ruri tried to steady her breathing.

"Because the news will be about the accidental death of the man that's having a secret affair on you!"

She heard the sound of a flip phone being snapped closed.

"Robert... come tomorrow, the sword of justice shall pierce right through your sinful heart!"

Ruri watched as his feet turned towards where Conan was hiding and saw Conan take a step back.

He somehow managed to bump something, because the next thing Ruri heard was the sound of a ball bouncing onto the ground.

"Hm?"

A turn.

"W-Who are you?!"

"H-Hello... ahahaha..." Ruri heard Conan say.

"Bye!" he tried to rush off.

"Hold it!"

Ruri watched Conan's feet stop abrubtly and then shift to what Ruri assumed to be a position so that Conan could see the person.

"You... You're Mouri-tantei's...!

"Me? I didn't hear a thing!" Conan tried.

"There's no way you didn't anything! Now that you've heard, there's no way I can let you go! Until the show is finished at the earliest."

Ruri listened as Conan cries were muffled by something (she thought maybe tape).

"To be honest, staying here... Damn... my alcoholism is acting up again...!"

Ruri heard something large being moved and scraped against the floor.

She patiently waited until the feet were walking away from wherever he had put Conan and left the room. The door slid closed again.

Ruri burst out from her hiding spot and began to search throughout the room.

"Conan-kun? Where are you?"

She heard a muffled voice and tried to walk towards it.

"Conan-kun?" she tried again.

More muffled speaking.

She turned towards a big sarcophagus and walked towards it.

"Conan-kun? Are you in here? It's some sort of Egyptian sarcophagus..."

Muffled affirmation.

Ruri heard footsteps outside the door and she looked around in panic.

She dove underneath the same table just as the lock clicked and the door was opened.

Footsteps clacked against the floor and hands pulled out a wooden box.

She watched as someone sat on the box. Ruri heard the sound of a liquid being poured into something.

"Geez..." she heard a man's voice say.

"He just keeps going on and on. The main role was supposed to belong to me, originally. But because of you, everything has been ruined."

The sound of something being placed on a shelf was what Ruri heard afterwards.

"You must know by now that the audience is growing tired of watching you only act like you've been poisoned. Well, for the next performance, I'll be the one in the spotlight."

* * *

 _AND HERE IS WHERE I MUST STOP~ *cough* Ok, sorry. I just wanted to get a second chapter out in apology for not getting the last one out in time. So, I hope you all will forgive me for being a bit late!_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: THE MALICE BEHIND THE MASQUE (PART 2)_

 _DFTBA, EVERYONE!_


	24. The Malice Behind the Masque (Part 2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

* * *

 _Hey guess what, guys? I finished a class so I can put out another chapter! *sparse clapping* Um... so, enjoy!_

* * *

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

-Oscar Wilde

* * *

"Conan-kun?" Ruri called.

She could hear his voice from behind the creepy looking sarcophagus.

"I'm going to try and open it, ok?"

She slid her fingers in the slits on the side and began to push. Very slowly, the top began to move.

The top slid and began to reveal the tied up and gagged Conan inside.

Ruri helped him out and she untied him.

Conan ripped off the tape on his mouth.

"We need to hurry!" he yelled, shocking Ruri.

"E-Eh?"

"Hiroshi Komazuka switched Atsushi Yabuki's fake rapier for a real one! We need to switch it back. Also, Yabuki-san poisoned Komazuka-san's wine prop!"

"But...what are we going to do?"

"... I have an idea. But first, we need to find Robert-san," Conan smiled.

* * *

Ruri watched as Conan pulled his bowtie over his mouth to begin his plan.

"Is that so? The real rapier is missing?" he said, the gadget perfectly imitating an older man's voice.

"That's amazing..." Ruri mumbled.

"Eh?" Conan turned to her.

"Ah! I just- I mean- I-I've never seen a voice changer that managed to be that precise!" she waved her hands.

Conan stared at her in disbelief before saying that they needed to make sure Robert knew about the real rapier and told someone.

* * *

"How dangerous!" Robert cried. "Damn it, I'm going to file a complaint!"

Conan and Ruri shared a smile.

"No... wait a second..."

Two pairs of eyes turned back to the man.

"Shocking him to death on the stage lift... that doesn't sound like a bad idea, either."

 _No way!_

"It isn't like I was the one messing with the rapiers. I can still claim it was an accident."

 _Even Robert!_ Ruri thought, covering her mouth.

As soon as Robert left, Conan rushed out from his hiding spot and to the sword stand, switching the real weapon with the fake one.

"We need to make sure he doesn't go into Yabuki-san's dressing room!" Conan told Ruri, rushing out of the storeroom.

Ruri followed the boy out and into the hallway.

 _Man, for such short legs, he can run!_

They ran to the dressing rooms and neared Yabuki's.

"Even an elephant can be poisoned to death," a voice from inside the room said.

Conan and Ruri pressed their bodies against the wall.

"That old man - he's about to see.. hmhmhm..."

* * *

 _Dealing with one criminal is relatively simple... but three is too many to handle,_ Conan thought. _And even if they were stopped now, there will be a next time._

The Heisei Holmes smirked. _So... I have to save him, even though he's a criminal._

Conan followed Yabuki who went into Komazuka's dressing room. Ruri closely on his heels.

Pressing himself up against the wall once more, he listened.

"Well, I'll accept it for now..."

Conan readied his bow tie and knocked against the wall.

"Komazuka-san? Is everything going OK?" he asked, perfectly emulating Kinuko Shimizu's voice.

"Y-Yeah!" came Komazuka's reply from inside the dressing room.

Please... Although Robert-kun and Yabuki-san are doing well, these are their first starring roles. Komazuka-san, please give them some guidance."

* * *

Ruri and Conan watched from the catwalk of the theatre as the show began, the curtain rising to reveal the actors.

The sword fight soon started and Ruri noticed that Conan bent down and pulled something out of his pocket out of the corner of her eye.

 _Is that... a bottle cap?_ She wondered.

He cranked his power enhancing kick shoes and dropped the cap in front of himself.

With a ferociously strong kick, the cap went flying at the white masked man and just as the fake rapier touched him, the bottle cap flew into his face, making him drop to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

Just as Ruri was about to ask what that was all about, Conan ran to the crossover gallery and grabbed a pulley. He pulled it back as the lightening sequence started up and let it go, once the owl masked actor was in range. The actor was hit with the pulley and went falling onto the lift.

Ruri watched as Conan readied his stung gun wristwatch as Komazuka lifted the wine-filled chalice to his lips. The aim was true as the actor fell to the ground without taking a sip of the poisoned drink.

* * *

Ruri and Conan watched as all three of the would-be murderers were carted off on stretchers.

"Conan-kun!" Ran's voice came from behind the duo, making them both jump. "Where were you this whole time!"

"Well..." Conan put his hands up. "The toilet..."

"Geez! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Well, I..."

"You'd better smarten up!"

Conan lowered his head. "Yes... I'm sorry..."

"I'm really sorry about this, Ruri-chan!" Ran bowed to the girl.

"No, no! It's fine!" Ruri shook her head. "I needed a little excitement to cheer me up!"

"What happened? I noticed you looked down earlier but you seem much happier now..." Ran tilted her head.

"I... well... my parents just went to America for the unforeseeable future..." Ruri looked away.

"Oh... I-I'm sorry," Ran apologized.

"Don't worry," Ruri smiled.

She felt a small hand wrap around hers. She looked down to see Conan gripping her hand in an almost protective manner.

"Thanks, Conan-san," Ruri ruffled the boy's hair, making it fluff up a bit.

The hair quickly fixed itself with a "pomf" and went back to looking neat with that familiar little cowlick.

Ruri laughed.

* * *

"If it makes you feel any better, my parents are in America as well..." Conan told Ruri.

She smiled. "Ran-san told me."

"Although, to be honest, they might be anywhere at the moment," his voice went completely monotone.

Ruri snorted. "Sounds rough."

"Not really. They haven't been around for a long time now, so I've gotten used to it," Conan shrugged.

"I'm sure they care about you in their own way," she assured.

"Conan-kun!" Ran called. "We need to leave!"

"Hai, Ran-neesan!" Conan called back.

"Ne, Ruri-san?" he turned to the taller girl.

"Hm?"

"Would you like to exchange mail addresses?"

Ruri stared at the boy in shock for about a minute.

"Uh, sure!" she pulled out her phone.

Within a minute, they had exchanged their numbers and Conan was off.

"Tonight wasn't a bad night..." Ruri mumbled, after waving the Mouri's off until she couldn't see them anymore.

* * *

Ruri opened the door to her house and was greeted by the unfamiliar emptiness.

She sighed as she made her way to her room and flicking the light on. She took a quick shower and sat on her bad before noticing a little white card and a white rose on her desk.

Ruri picked the card up and read.

"Cheer up, Ruri-chan. You're not all alone.

KID"

She felt tears begin to fall on her cheeks and she wiped them away.

"Thank you," she whispered, before turning off the light and falling asleep, cuddling the KID rabbit.

* * *

 _AND THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE BIG CONFRONTATION! OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!_

 _NEXT TIME: FALLING INTO BLACKNESS_

 _DFTBA!_


	25. Falling Into Blackness

Chapter Twenty Five

* * *

 _Warning here. A little bit of blood and all that. I don't really know if it counts as torture.. but... just in case. Yeah. Warning. Don't read if easily grossed out or offended._

* * *

"Never was anything great achieved without danger."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

* * *

Ruri was quite exhausted after a long day at school where Kaito had somehow gotten the key to the broom closet... and proceeded to shut those without claustrophobia inside it and lock them in.

Thankfully, Ruri had slight claustrophobia, so she was spared from the magician's crazy rampage. How Kaito knew she had slight claustrophobia, she would never know.

She sighed and laughed as she remembered him locking Hakuba inside the aforementioned broom closet.

The girl had originally felt bad as she and Aoko tried to get the poor blond out. Unfortunately, Kaito had also done something to the lock, as they couldn't even budge the door. So they ended up giving up after about an hour of pulling and pushing..

This left the blond banging on the door for a good 15 minutes before stopping and just resigning to his broom-y fate.

Only until the last bell, did Hakuba finally manage to emerge from the closet.

Ruri laughed again, drawing the attention of some passer-byes who looked at her with a tilted head.

She murmured some apologies and hurried away.

Just as she was about to open the door to her house, Ruri heard her phone chime, alerting her to a new text.

The girl flicked her phone open and checked the new mail.

It was from Touma!

"Hey Ruri

I got an extra ticket from a friend to go to Tropical Land

I was wondering if you'd like to go with me"

Ruri smiled, remembering her friend.

It seemed he still had a crush on her.

"When?" she texted, opening the door and walking into the house.

"This Sunday" Touma texted back almost immediately.

"I think I have time" she replied.

"Then 9 am in front of the park?"

"Sure meet you then"

Ruri closed the phone and walked up into her room where her school bag was promptly deposited on her bed.

She went into the kitchen to make some cup ramen and sat in the living room, watching T.V.

As sad as it was, Ruri's home life had suddenly been transformed into the old life she had had as Janet.

"Is this really a blessing? Or is it a curse?" she mumbled, turning the channel to a drama.

* * *

Getting ready for dates were a lot harder when Ruri's fashion forward grandmother wasn't around to give advice.

Ruri had laid out several potential outfits on her bed and was staring at them with judging eyes.

She sighed and pulled out her phone.

It was 7... would Aoko be awake?

Taking a chance, Ruri dialed her friend's number.

It took maybe 3 rings when it was answered.

"Ruri-chan? What's wrong?"

"Ah... well..." Ruri hesitated.

She was starting to regret calling.

"Hold on, I'll be right over," Aoko told her before hanging up.

Sure enough, within the hour, Aoko was at Ruri's door.

"What's going on?" Aoko asked as Ruri took her to the conundrum.

"I'm going to Tropical Land with Touma-san," Ruri explained.

"Tropical Land? In Beika? That's quite a ways..."

Ruri nodded.

"But I thought you weren't interested in Touma?" Aoko inquired, grinning.

"I was invited. I didn't want to turn him down..." Ruri looked away. "I still don't have any romantic feelings for him."

"So you called because you didn't know what to wear?" Aoko looked over Ruri's displayed outfits.

Another nod.

"Then leave it to me!"

* * *

Ruri shuffled in slight awkwardness as Touma and her waited in line for the rollercoaster.

"Hey, I heard that there was a murder here just a while back," Touma whispered into her ear.

Ruri nodded. "I heard about that too."

"I think the guy who solved it was about your age, too. What was his name? Kaido? Kido?"

"Kudo," Ruri corrected.

"Yeah! That's it!"

"That name is actually super familiar..." Touma mumbled.

"His mother is the famous actress Kudo Yukiko. She's married to Kudo Yusaku, the famous Night Baron novelist."

"Wow... you sure know a lot, Ruri-chan..." Touma stared at the shorter girl in surprise.

"Well... I read the paper..." Ruri looked away, not sure if that little lie was going to work.

"So? Do you know anything else about this mystery solving rich teenager?" Touma asked.

"He's been missing ever since the murder that took place here," Ruri told him.

"You don't think... this place is haunted, do you?" Touma gave the girl a lop sided grin.

Ruri was VERY tempted to punch him in the arm.

"It's not."

Or at least... she hoped not.

Touma threw an arm around her shoulders and sighed, poking her cheek. "You're no fun."

Ruri giggled a little and shoved his arm off her. "C'mon, we're next."

The boarded the rollercoaster and listened to the voice tell them to keep all appendages inside the cart at all times. Lest they want a severed arm or leg.

* * *

"Thanks for coming, Ruri-chan," Touma hugged the girl.

"No problem. I had fun," she smiled.

"See you later," Touma said, walking to his own home.

The long ride from Beika to Ekoda had been quite tiring so Ruri really wanted to sleep.

But before she could walk into her house, a rag was placed over her mouth and she slipped into sleep.

* * *

Ruri opened her eyes and tried to blink out the grogginess that accompanied.

 _Where am I?_ she wondered, looking around.

She was gagged and bound to a pole with rope.

The girl wasn't able to make much of anything out, as the room was pitch black.

Only a small light fixture hung above her, creating a small circle of light around where she was tied up.

"Hello, little girl," a suave voice chuckled.

Black dress shoes clicked into the light, revealing a tall and dark man.

His hair and face was covered by his black hat. The only thing Ruri could tell, was that this man was either wearing platform shoes, or he was **very** tall.

"Call me Tubboocki. I'll be your host for this evening," the man grinned.

He took a few steps closer.

"Are you really such a threat that they needed to get rid of **_you_**?" he wondered aloud, frowning.

"You're nothing more than a little girl..." he circled around Ruri.

"Well, it's not really my job to question it. I just do the dirty work."

He pulled out a suitcase from underneath his cloak and opened it.

He took out a hypodermic needle and a vial filled with a dark green liquid.

He filled the needle with the liquid and flicked it once.

Tubboocki grinned and stepped closer to Ruri, brandishing the needle.

"Said your prayers yet? Because this is your last chance," he plunged the needle into her arm and injected the liquid.

Immediately, Ruri felt her body burn. It felt like fire in her veins.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whimpered.

 _Am I dying?_ she wondered.

Tubboocki untied the gag and grinned.

Ruri wondered for a while, why, but soon she was coughing up blood.

"Lovely," Tubboocki shuddered.

Coughing up more blood, Ruri slumped forward and screamed as she felt her insides boiling.

The pain made those few minutes feel like an eternity as she continued to cough up more blood. Tubboocki watched her writhe in pain.

 _I don't want to die. I don't want to. I'm scared. I'm scared. I don't want to die. Please help. Help me. Someone..._

* * *

Conan and Ai raced to the abandoned warehouse in a deserted part of Ekoda. Somehow, with an unusual stroke of luck, they had come across a rumor that told of men in black "taking care" of business in the warehouse.

They carefully picked their way through a smashed window and slipped inside. Conan was armed with his usual gadgets and unbeknownst to him, Ai was carrying a modified cap gun which fired small but deadly expanding bullets that exploded on contact.

The two teenagers turned children looked around the warehouse and stopped as the heard course breathing.

Conan held his hand up, signaling for them to stop. He put a finger to his lips and Ai nodded.

They very slowly stepped closer. The breathing didn't seem to be moving, and it seemed to be getting weaker and weaker.

Conan peaked over a few boxes and his eyes widened at the sight he saw.

* * *

Incessant beeping broke through Ruri's consciousness and she vaguely wondered if it was her alarm clock. Blinking her eyes open, she lifted her hand to smack the clock.

When she saw her outstretched arm, she screamed.

Ai and Conan ran into the room, followed closely by Agasa-hakase.

"WHY DO I HAVE NEEDLES IN MY ARM?!" Ruri screeched.

"We found you in an abandoned warehouse, dying," Ai explained, sighing and going to check a monitor.

Memories flooded back to Ruri, making her nauseous.

"Y- You mean... that wasn't a dream?" she choked and covered her mouth.

"You're lucky we found you," Ai told her, reaching for Ruri's arm.

"Thanks..."

Ai huffed and began to check Ruri's blood pressure.

"How are you feeling, Yukihisa-san?" the little girl asked.

"Not too bad, I suppose, considering I was just on the brink of death," Ruri replied.

Ai looked straight at her. "You've been unconscious for more than a week."

"A... week?" Ruri repeated.

Conan nodded for Ai.

"I- wow- ok..." Ruri held her head.

"Why were you there?" Conan asked.

"I had been... kidnapped and drugged."

"That much we can tell," Ai commented.

"I wasn't doing anything, I promise!" Ruri tried to explain. "I was about to-"

"Ruri. We need to talk about your appearance," Conan interrupted.

"What about it?" she asked.

Ai held out a mirror.

As Ruri looked at herself in the mirror, what she saw was enough to make her drop the mirror and make it shatter into a thousand pieces.

"What... happened to me?"

* * *

 _IT'S DONE~! OHMIGOSH, PEOPLE, THIS WAS A TRIAL! I cannot thank you all enough for the support you have given me. But I am back! Hopefully permanently. NO MORE ODD DEPRESSING BREAKS! Anyway, how was that chapter? Did you like it? Was it crappily made? Leave a review to tell me how it was!_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: SOME "MINOR" CHANGES, THEY SAID_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE! :)_


	26. Minor Changes, They Said

Chapter Twenty-Six

* * *

"Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you."

-Jon Bon Jovi

* * *

The mirror crashed to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces as Ruri tried to hide her face.

"What... happened to me...?" she said through her hands.

Conan and Ai shared a look.

"We're not sure," Conan told Ruri, looking away.

"It's probably a side effect of being poisoned by whatever you were poisoned with," Ai turned to her computer.

"Do you know what I was poisoned with?" Ruri asked, still holding her face.

"I have no idea," the little girl told the distraught girl. "But I'm a scientist. As long as I have something to go off of, I can do something about it."

"But... what if I stay like this? A boy..." Ruri mumbled, remembering the familiar and yet not familiar face in the mirror.

* * *

"You're significantly shorter than Kudo, but the clothes seem to be ok..." Ai told Ruri as they tried to find some suitable clothes in Shinichi's room.

Ruri, now having a male body, wouldn't be able to wear the dress that Aoko had picked for the "date" with Touma. So, Ai had suggested she wear some of Kudo's clothes. The boy of course, had been a little hesitant at first, but after seeing Ruri's broken hearted face, he relented.

So that brought them to now, as Ai rummaged through the drawers and closet for something close to Ruri's body size.

"Here," Ai tossed a simple black turtle neck sweater to Ruri.

Ruri caught the sweater and quickly caught a pair of pant Ai tossed as well.

"Hurry up," the little girl said, walking out of the room.

Ruri quickly slipped into the sweater and pants with a little bit of difficulty. Of course, she was still in _panties_ so it was more than a little odd to see something where nothing should have been there.

Not to mention, _it was **tight**._ _Uncomfortably so._

Sighing and doing her best not to touch that area, Ruri managed to put on the clothes.

She walked out of the room and fiddled with her shortened hair. Everything basic about her face had stayed the same. Blue eyes, brown hair, kind of rounded face. The only things that obviously changed was hair length and eye shape. Her eyes were still awkwardly feminine, but slightly sharper.

Ruri walked into the living room where Conan, Ai, and Agasa-hakase were waiting.

"So, I suppose you have some questions," Ai sighed.

Ruri nodded.

"I was a scientist for the same organization that guy who kidnapped you was from," she told Ruri. "I created the poison that shrunk both me and him."

Ai jabbed a finger in Conan's direction.

Another nod.

"I'm really Kudo Shinichi. I was turned into a little kid when I tried to expose a deal made by said organization," Conan explained.

"Ok... But what do they want with me?" Ruri asked.

Conan and Ai looked at each other.

"We're not sure yet," Conan said, shrugging.

Ruri sighed and leaned back into her seat.

"You're taking this awfully well," Ai commented.

Ruri shrugged, unsure what to say.

"Would you mind introducing yourself? Since two-thirds of the people in this room know next to nothing about you," the little girl said.

"My name is Yukihisa Ruri. I'm 17 and a regular high school student going to Ekoda High," Ruri told them.

Everyone in the room sat in silence for a while. Then something dawned on Ruri.

"Do you mind if I make a few phone calls?" she asked.

The two teenagers turned children shared another look and shrugged.

"I don't see why not," Ai told her. "As long as you don't reveal anything about us or the organization."

"I didn't plan to," Ruri assured her.

Agasa-hakase guided Ruri to a telephone and patted her shoulder.

"I'm truly sorry about this," he said before walking away.

As soon as he was back in the other room, Ruri dialed the first number she could think of. Kaito's.

"Hello?" he answered.

"It's Ruri," Ruri said.

"Ruri?! Where have you been?! You've been gone for a week! No one was able to contact you!" he yelled, making Ruri pull the phone away from her ear.

"I'm fine. I just had something to take care of. I'm at a friend's house right now," Ruri told him.

Kaito was silent for a little while. "Don't do that again," he told her.

"I'll try," she smiled.

"You worried m- ...everyone."

"I know. I'm sorry," Ruri apologized.

"Call Aoko, 'kay? She's been depressed since you went missing."

"I will. She's the next one I'll call, I promise," she told him.

"Good. And... Ruri?"

"Yes?"

"Glad you're ok."

Ruri was stunned. A few tears fell down her cheeks.

"Un."

Aoko's call was a little more yelling and sobbing on the phone, but soon, that was resolved as well.

Hakuba's call was a little less yelling and more lecturing. But he too expressed his happiness that Ruri was alright.

"Get all your calls done?" Conan asked, surprising Ruri.

Ruri nodded, wiping a few tears away.

"Good. We have some things to talk about."

Ruri followed him back to the living room and sat in the same chair.

"Kudo said he trusts you to keep our secret," Ai commented to the Ruri.

Ruri didn't know what to say.

"But for now, since we know that the Black Organization tried to get rid of you, you'll have to go into hiding."

The girl turned boy didn't answer.

"We'll have to forge a citizenship and a new persona for you," the little scientist huffed.

"I'm sorry," Ruri mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. You may come in handy," Ai waved the apology away. "So pick a name."

"... Natsuki. Tsukino Natsuki," Ruri told them, after a while of thinking.

"Are you sure? You won't be able to change it after the citizenship is forged," Ai warned.

Ruri nodded.

"You certainly seem to like the moon," Agasa-hakase commented, smiling.

"It... reminds me of someone. And I'm also a romantic," Ruri shrugged, grinning.

"Tsukino Natsuki it is," Ai smiled.

"By the way. Do you have somewhere to stay?" Conan asked.

Ruri paled.

* * *

 _Hey. Hey guys. I GOT ANOTHER CHAPTER DONE! I actually intended to go with the heterochromia thing but all of a sudden, Kuchizuke Diamond (Yamada and the 7 Witches)started playing on my player and I was like, HOLY CRAP, I'VE GOT IT. I love that show. I like anything with genderbending, really. So that was the story of how I was inspired to make this a really bad crap-fest. (Please don't hate me) Also, I realized about halfway through writing this that I would need a much larger physical change in order to not have the B.O. immediately recognize Ruri and kill her. And thus, that reinforced the genderbending idea. I love Honto Yajuu. So much. I can't wait to write the next chapter. Also, quick possible future chapter(s) warning. Possible yaoi fluff. Nothing serious. Just some, "oh god, is that really a dude, he's adorable, what is wrong with me, am I gay" stuff. So, if you are homophobic or don't really want to read that stuff, don't worry, it won't really have anything to do with the main plot line. It's just nonsensical fluff that I feel the need to write because I love creating awkward situations._

 _NEXT CHAPTER: MASTERING BEING A BOY_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :)_


	27. Mastering Being A Boy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

* * *

"It'll be fun, they said."

-The Engineer squad from Warcraft 2

* * *

Ruri- no, Natsuki, stared at the porcelain wonder that allowed hygiene.

The toilet.

"HOW DO GUYS DO THIS" he had screamed as the girl turned boy raced to the bathroom after being unable to hold it in anymore.

"Ju-Just hold it, and try to aim as best you can!" Conan guided from the other side of the bathroom door.

"I DON'T WANT TO **HOLD** IT!"

"You do know you can just sit, right?" Ai commented, walking by the bathroom, cup of tea in hand.

"I CAN?! HO THANK **GOD**!"

There was a brief moment of silence... and then the distinct sound of flushing.

The sink turned on, and Natsuki emerged from the bathroom, looking quite relieved.

"This is certainly going to be interesting..." Ai smirked, sipping her tea.

Natsuki quickly walked over to the room and promptly collapsed onto the couch, face deeply buried in one of the many fluffy cushions of the Kudo mansion.

"I don't wanna be a boy anymoooooore..." he groaned, voice partially muffled.

"You can get through it. I'll help," Conan reassured, patting Natsuki's back.

"Until and unless we find a cure, you're going to be stuck like that. So you'd better get used to it," Ai plopped down onto an adjacent chair.

"Nooooooooooooo..."

"Where are you going to stay? We need to get that sorted out," Agasa-hakase said, stirring a cup of coffee.

"..." Natsuki was silent. "I don't want to burden you guys, so I'll find some place to stay."

"Where?" Conan asked.

"Someplace in Ekoda, probably."

Ai and Conan exchanged looks.

* * *

"Why are we here?" Natsuki whined as Ai looked through the racks of male clothing.

"Because none of your old clothes will fit you now. You need to get new ones," Ai huffed, inspecting a simple white button-down.

"Can I help you, sir?" a young female salesperson asked, coming up behind Natsuki.

"Onii-chan and I are looking for some new clothes!" Ai chirped, before Natsuki could say anything.

"How cute!" the salesperson smiled. "Do you have a certain style or clothing line that you were looking for?"

"Anything is ok, as long as it fits..." Natsuki smiled awkwardly.

"Of course! If you'll follow me, I'll help you find some clothes!" the salesperson gestured for Natsuki and Ai to follow.

Natsuki was quickly handed several pairs of jeans, 2 sweatshirts, 4 t-shirts, 3 button-downs, and 5 different jackets.

"I-I have to try ALL of this on?" he squeaked.

The saleslady nodded. "I picked out what seemed to be your style."

"My style..?"

"Just hurry up," Ai pushed Natsuki into the changing room.

"We're also looking for some underwear," Natsuki heard Ai say to the saleslady.

"Boxers or briefs?"

"What do you think, Onii-chan?" Ai called.

"Boxers..." Natsuki replied, trying not to cry.

* * *

"Ooh, not bad," Ai smirked.

The saleslady was blushing.

Natsuki had finally emerged wearing a pair of ripped jeans, a black hoodie, a very dark green turtleneck, and a pair of black biker boots.

"Why don't you go take a look in the mirror?" Ai suggested.

Natsuki obeyed and almost fell down.

"T-This is me?" he wondered aloud.

The saleslady nodded, before subtly taking out her phone and snapping a picture.

"We'll take it," Ai smiled.

* * *

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Natsuki asked Ai.

"Because you're good-looking," was her reply.

"But- But even the guys..."

Ai looked up.

Sure enough, even guys were staring at Natsuki with slightly red faces.

Ai looked back at Natsuki.

He had retained the feminine body shape he had had as Ruri and the tight turtleneck certainly accented the curves.

"Home wrecker," Ai snorted.

"What?" Natsuki asked.

"Nothing."

* * *

Natsuki stared up at Ekoda High. Suddenly, everything seemed to be oppressive.

"No time like the present," he mumbled, fixing his gakuran*.

* * *

 _*gakuran- the stereotypical black button-down uniform boys wear_

 _What is this? 2 chapters in a day? What is this? Naw, just joshing with ya. Sorry it's a little short, but I just wanted to have like a montage/filler chapter for no reason. I just really wanted to write the bathroom scene. But it was too short to stand-alone, so I added the shopping thing._

 _Hey, neonkoi, guess what? I wrote the head-turning scene! :D I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. XD_

 _Anyway, the next chapter will be Natsuki's introduction to Kaito, Aoko, Hakuba, and Akako._

 _NEXT CHAPTER: NOW LOADING..._

 _DFTBA EVERYBODY! :)_


	28. Now Loading

Chapter Twenty-Eight

* * *

Red moon, red moon...  
Cleanses the sinful and makes them anew...  
Shining brightly in the night sky,  
waiting for the souls...  
Who will be born again tonight?  
Who will be born again tonight?

-Akai Tsuki (Disgaea)

* * *

"This is Tsukino Natsuki and he will be joining us for the rest of the school year. I hope you all get along," the teacher told the class, trying to get used to his new panda suit.

"Just take the empty seat behind Hakuba Saguru."

Hakuba stood up from his desk. "Over here, Tsukino-san," he said.

"Ah... thank you," Natsuki smiled.

* * *

"Where did you transfer from?" Aoko asked, dressed in a red panda suit.

Once the lunch bell had rung, she had practically sprung up from her seat to race over to Natsuki.

"I- uh- I'm from Beika," Natsuki stammered.

"Beika...?" Aoko repeated.

"I have a friend who's also from Beika! She transferred a while before you did!" she smiled.

"O-Oh? Who is that?" Natsuki asked.

"Well, her name is Yukihisa Ruri. Have you heard of her?"

Natsuki shook his head. "I don't believe I have."

"Hmmm... oh well. Hey, why don't I introduce you to my friends?" Aoko grabbed Natsuki's arm.

"The one you sit behind is Hakuba Saguru. He's a detective from London!" she said, allowing Natsuki and Hakuba to nod at each other.

"Pleased to meet you, Tsukino-san," Hakuba smiled.

"Natsuki is fine," the shorter boy smiled back.

Hakuba was dressed in donkey suit.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" a silky voice asked.

Akako appeared behind Aoko and was smiling. Akako was wearing the regular assigned uniform.

Funnily enough, Natsuki didn't feel any different from when he was a girl. Just some "wow, she's pretty." No declaring of love.

"This is Akako-chan," Aoko said, turning to Natsuki.

"Akako-chan, this is Natsuki-kun."

"A pleasure to meet you," Akako outstretched her hand.

Thinking it was a gesture to _shake_ her hand, Natsuki did just that.

When he was done, Akako seemed puzzled, almost.

"There isn't anything else you want to do?" she practically choked out.

Natsuki tilted his head in pure confusion. "No...?"

"I see," Akako turned on her heel and walked out of the classroom, a trail of boys following after her.

Natsuki watched as she stalked out of the room.

"What'd I do?" he asked.

"Nothing. And that was what was wrong," a familiar voice cackled.

Natsuki spun around to come face-to-face with Ekoda High's very own menace. Kuroba Kaito.

"K-" Natsuki started to blurt out Kaito's name but managed to catch himself.

"Hello. And who might you be?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"Kuroba Kaito. Magician-in-training. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Kaito smiled, bowing low.

"Nothing's a pleasure when you're around," Aoko snorted.

"Oh, Aoko! You wound me so!" Kaito fell back, one hand on his chest, another on his forehead facing upwards.

"You are such a drama queen!" Aoko crossed her arms.

Natsuki couldn't help but laugh a little. It was a helpful thing, to see that Ruri's friends were doing just fine. And slightly healing, oddly enough.

"Hey, by the way, what's an animal you like?" Kaito called as he was chased around the room by Aoko.

Thinking a bit before a slightly evil plan started to form. "I guess I like fish, why?'

Natsuki almost burst out laughing as he watched Kaito's face pale.

"F-Fish? Isn't there something else?" the poor ichthyphobic magician stuttered.

Deciding not to carry on any further, Natsuki nodded. "Rabbits."

"That I can do," Kaito mumbled, before engulfing Natsuki in a cloud of blue smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Natsuki was wearing a fluffy bunny suit. Not the sexy one with fish-net stockings. The fluffy one.

"Not too bad," he commented.

"Geez, you could at least let the new student off!" Aoko scolded.

"And lose my trickster credibility? No way!" Kaito stuck out his tongue.

Natsuki laughed as Aoko chased Kaito again. Even if it was a different body and things may be a little different, at least Ruri was back with them.

* * *

Kaito watched from the corner of his eye as he watched the transfer student laugh.

When Natsuki had first been introduced, he thought that Ruri had come back.

Everything was so similar. Even the voice. It was almost uncanny.

He remembered going to Ruri's house that first night she didn't come to school. No one had been there. Not even something to tell that anyone had even gone into the building.

When he had gotten that call two nights ago, he felt as if he was going to cry. Simply hearing Ruri's voice had been such a relief. At that point, Kaito had been ready to start searching for his missing friend, even if he had to sacrifice a KID heist he had been planning.

He would have to call Ruri tonight to see why she hadn't come back yet...

* * *

Hakuba glanced over at Natsuki as he and Aoko chatted. He had been quite shocked to see the resemblance the transfer student had with Ruri. It was almost suspicious.

Especially with the timing. Ruri goes missing, and then within 48 hours, a look-alike appears? At the same school as a transfer student? There was no way that was a coincidence. If anything, he suspected Ruri was playing a very elaborate joke on them.

Hakuba would have to keep an eye on this new student.

* * *

Aoko looked at Natsuki's face as he went on about moving and all that.

It really was impressive how much he looked like Ruri. More like creepy, actually.

Was it actually someone different? Or was it Kaito somehow rubbing off on Ruri?

She really hoped it was just a practical joke. Ruri still hadn't called since that night she tried to contact everyone and make sure they knew she wasn't dead.

* * *

Natsuki sincerely hoped that he didn't slip up somewhere. Being identified as Ruri would make life a whole heck of a lot harder. He knew that Kaito, as KID, was already waist deep in the B.O. stuff, but he really didn't want to put them in more danger.

Even if-

"2nd years please head to the changing rooms for P.E."

 **Oh god no.**

* * *

How would you like to be in a changing room full of good looking guys and not be out of place? Physically, that is. You'd think it'd be awesome, right? **Wrong.** As a girl, even if you thought about something sexy or lewd, no one would know. Why? Because girls don't have a beacon that likes to alert everyone. Guys though...

Natsuki tried his best not to look anywhere besides the floor.

Sure, it was probably every fangirl's dream to be stuck in a room full of good-looking guys willingly undressing in front of them, but holy heck, if 38 years of being a single virgin and 21 of those years being spent as a anime-fan was saying anything, Natsuki was NOT mentally prepared for this.

He also silently thanked Ai for making him buy boxers. Panties would not have looked good.

"Hey, transfer student, you ok?" Kaito asked, making Natsuki jump.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Natsuki managed to say without stuttering and looking directly at the half-naked teen.

"Hurry up, boys!" the teacher shouted.

* * *

Hakuba had tried to keep his mind out of the gutter as he inspected Natsuki from a safe distance.

His chest was flat, whereas Ruri had a nicely developed- ...nevermind. The point was, Natsuki was definitely a boy. Even the slight bulge in the crotch area attested to that fact.

The only weird thing was... Natsuki's chest was neither broad nor strong looking. Not masculine in the slightest. His figure was so similar to Ruri's that Hakuba had to catch himself (twice) from going off into la-la land.

"I thought you were straight," the irritating (he thought) voice of the damned (still his opinion) magician pierced his thoughts.

"I am," Hakuba shut his locker with a little more force than necessary.

"Then how come I see you checkin' out Natsuki over there?" Kaito leered, a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

"I was merely checking to see if he was truly male. I don't believe I was the only one to think Tsukino-san was Ruri-san," Hakuba turned to face the brunet.

Kaito's grin disappeared, and even Kaito had taken on a serious face.

"Have you heard anything from Ruri, by the way?"

Hakuba shook his head. "Not since two nights ago."

"Same. I wonder if she's all right," Kaito sighed, before walking out of the locker room.

Natsuki was already outside, waiting with the rest of the guys.

He was surrounded by boys who seemed (to Hakuba's opinion) to be wearing some lewd faces (they weren't).

"Geez, take it down a notch," Kaito crossed his arms. "It's not like he's actually Ruri."

Hakuba breathed in and managed to calm himself down. This wasn't like him.

* * *

Even if he had teased Hakuba about it, Kaito himself was starting to feel a little protective of the look-alike.

Seeing Natsuki get along with all the boys made his anger bubble. Kaito slipped on his most perfect smile and walked over to Natsuki.

Draping an arm along the shorter boy's shoulder, he started to insert himself into the conversation and try to drive the other boys away.

"Is there something I can help you with, Kuroba-san?" Natsuki asked.

"Well, not really! I just wanted to come over!" Kaito smiled. "And just Kaito is fine."

"O-Ok..."

* * *

Kaito and Hakuba watched as Natsuki raced down the track. He was fast for someone so short and meek.

"3.2 seconds!" the coach yelled as Natsuki ran over the white line. "A new record! Good job, Tsukino-kun!"

The coach clapped Natsuki on the back.

"You should join the track-and-field team!" he laughed.

"Ah, thank you, but I'm really not interested," Natsuki said, smiling.

"Not bad, Tsukino-san," Hakuba said, smiling as Natsuki came over.

"Oh... thank you Hakuba-san," Natsuki flashed a dazzling smile.

* * *

 _I really didn't intend to break the record,_ Natsuki thought. _I didn't think this body would have more muscle strength..._

He was currently hiding from the track-and-field team, who, as predicted, wanted him for as a sprinter.

"You ok?"

Natsuki spun around to face Kaito.

"Kaito-san... you surprised me," Natsuki sighed.

"Geez, they really want you, huh?" the magician laughed, watching the team run down the halls.

"I know a way to get out. Want my help?" he asked.

"Oh, thank you!" Natsuki grasped Kaito's left hand and smiled.

Kaito's heart did a little flip at that. "A-Ah, sure."

"Just follow me."

"Un!"

* * *

"So? How did everything go at school?" Ai asked over the phone.

"Fine. I don't think they suspected anything," Natsuki sighed in relief.

"Well, fine, but have you found a place to stay?"

"N-Not yet..." Natsuki mumbled.

Ai sighed. "Come to Beika and we'll see what we can find."

"Yeah, ok... sorry," Natsuki said, before hanging up.

* * *

 _I AM SO PRODUCTIVE THIS WEEK! :D So proud of myself. Anyway, the next chapter will probably come out sometime this weekend. Oh, and did I mention that I'm super excited for Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer? I'm totally aware it's a spin-off but can you imagine designing a house without monetary limitations? Even designing your own little Main Street! C'mon, that sounds so cool! I can't wait. Also, that same week (20-26) will be my dad's birthday, so there may not be an update. Sorry! DX_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: FINDING A HOUSE_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :D_


	29. Finding A House

Chapter Twenty-Nine

* * *

"Home is where the heart is."

-Unknown

* * *

"So, what about this one? It's fairly close to your school," Ai pointed at the apartment ad on the computer.

"Well... it's not bad, but the rent is a little high..." Natsuki frowned, looking at the 71,000 yen price tag.

"Do you think you could find one that's maybe 30,000 yen?" he asked.

Ai typed in the search box and looked at the ones that popped up in Ekoda-cho.

"Here's a few," she motioned to 4 that were around 25,000 to 32,000 yen.

"This one's closer to school... only about a 10 minute walk," Natsuki pointed at the one priced at 27,000 yen.

"You want that one?" Ai asked.

Natsuki nodded. "I'll look for a job at one of the convenience stores nearby."

Ai nodded and sent in the application.

"Go ahead and get ready to look in the morning. You're lucky it's a Sunday tomorrow," Ai smiled.

Natsuki smiled. "Thanks for all this, Haibara-san."

"Call me Ai when we're outside. Honorifics aren't required."

Natsuki fidgeted a bit. "Um... about tonight..."

"Go ahead and sleep in one of the unused rooms. Conan is staying at the Mouri's, so he probably won't mind," Ai waved the larger teen off.

"I really appreciate this," he called as he walked out of the room.

"Yeah, yeah," Ai mumbled.

* * *

As Natsuki stood in front of the apartment complex, he was actually quite happy about his decision.

While it may not have been a 5 star luxury complex, it certainly more than easily suited his needs.

The landlady was really nice, and showed him the open rooms.

After signing the contract, the room 214 was officially his.

The room was quite bare, since Natsuki had nothing with him besides some clothes.

Deciding to go out and get something from the nearby market for dinner, Natsuki spotted a help wanted ad in the store's window.

Lucky for him, they were looking for some part-timers to work in the evenings.

He walked in and talked to the manager, who was a college student, and got the job after a quick interview. He was to start next week.

"Today has really been going well," he mumbled. "I hope this doesn't mean something bad is going to happen in the near future..."

* * *

 _Short chapter, I'm sorry! I really just wanted to have an excuse to write an apartment searching scene since (oddly enough) I like reading those kinds of things. I'll be back next weekend with a new chapter! I'm also not sure what kind of chapter I want it to be, so I thought maybe you guys could give me some ideas?_

 _I was thinking maybe since I mentioned the KID heist in a previous chapter, would you guys want to see that? Just a thought. Also, I'll make a poll with some ideas if you guys want to do that instead._

 _NEXT CHAPTER: ?_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :)_


	30. Meeting the Shounen-tantei-dan

Chapter Thirty

* * *

 _I finished a class so here's a chapter in advance! :D_

* * *

"We know what we are, but know not what we may be."

-William Shakespeare

* * *

"Your friends want to meet me?" Natsuki repeated.

Conan nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry, they're just some kids that follow me around because they like solving mysteries."

"Oh."

Natsuki sat in his little apartment, listening to the silence on the other end of the phone.

"I guess I can go along..." he said.

"Great. We'll meet at my house and then we'll go see them. Is next Saturday ok?"

"Yeah. That's fine," Natsuki smiled.

Hanging up, he took a little while to happily squeal internally.

"I can meet them!"

* * *

Saturday had arrived and Natsuki was standing in front of the four grade schoolers that made up the rest of the Shounen-tanteidan.

"You're Natsuki-oniisan?" Ayumi asked.

Natsuki nodded. "That's right."

"You look more like an onee-san!" she laughed.

 _I can't deny that._ Natsuki laughed.

"I can't really help if I look like a girl, you know?" he asked, ruffling her hair.

"Un! Sorry!" Ayumi giggled.

"You really do look like a girl," Genta pouted.

Natsuki shrugged.

"Are you cross-dressing, Tsukino-san?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"No, I'm not. I'm really, biologically male," Natsuki shrugged.

Mitsuhiko pursed his lips but said nothing else.

"Anyway, what were you saying about Kana-chan?" Conan asked, butting in.

"Oh! Right! Her house is nearby, so we should go see!" Mitsuhiko ran off, followed by Ayumi and Genta.

"Kana...chan?" Natsuki repeated.

"Sorry. I lied. We're on a case that a girl in our class brought to us. Someone's been following her. We needed to bring someone that doesn't look easy to kidnap," Conan explained.

"Oh."

* * *

The house where Kana lived wasn't a house.

It was a veritable mansion in the Western style. With servants, butlers, even maids. In terms of staff, the Kudo mansion couldn't even compare. Kana met them at the door and let them inside.

She was a little girl with cropped brown hair and her long bangs covered most of her eyes.*

Of course, upon arriving and entering the house, they ran into a familiar tanned face.

"Heiji-niisan!"

The tanned boy turned towards the 4 kids plus one teen.

"Ruri! How's it going? Did you get a haircut? You look different somehow..." the Osakan greeted, walking up to Natsuki and grasping his hands.

"His name isn't Ruri! It's Natsuki-oniisan!" Ayumi huffed.

"Eh? Not... Ruri? Onii-san?" the detective repeated.

Natsuki gently pulled his hands away and coughed lightly.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Tsukino Natsuki. Male," he smiled.

Heiji took a few steps back. And then a few more, before grabbing Conan's hand and running off to a corner.

* * *

"How is that not Ruri? What's going on here, Kudo?" Heiji hissed.

Conan sighed. Just as he was about to explain, there was a loud bang as a pair of double doors sung outward.

"Kana!" a harsh voice yelled.

The little girl jumped.

"What are you doing?" an old man descended from the upper floor.

"M-My friends..." she mumbled.

"We came to play with Kana-chan!" Ayumi chirped.

"Then what is HE doing here?" the old man pointed at Natsuki with his cane.

"He's with me, sir," Heiji walked up to Natsuki and draped an arm around his shoulders.

The old man tightened his grip on his cane. "Kana, go take your friends to play somewhere else. Your ojii-chan needs to attend to some business."

He patted Kana's head lightly.

"Play along," Heiji whispered to Natsuki.

Nodding slightly, Natsuki shrugged Heiji's arm off.

"As you know, my granddaughter has told me that there has been someone following her. At first, I shrugged it off, but a few days ago, I noticed a shadow in our garden where Kana was playing."

Natsuki glanced around the room they were in.

It was obviously made for parties. A big crystal chandelier loomed several meters ahead.

In the Northern area of the room was a large grand piano.

As the grandfather rambled on, Natsuki went over to inspect the piano.

It was well kept - free of dust and polished until it was practically a mirror.

Natsuki hit the C-note and a clear sound flowed out from the piano.

Well-tuned as well, Natsuki noted.

Feeling an urge to play, Natsuki sat on the leather stool in front of the piano.

Without meaning to, his hands flowed across the piano and out came a song he knew very well.

Feeling his heart swell he began to sing.

" _Saving a light abandoned, tearing away from lies and doubt_

 _You'll find the truth still holding tight, in the hand of the night_ "

The old man and Heiji turned to watch Natsuki play.

x

" _Dusk air feeding into shadow play, dancing bold and glides away_

 _Waiting and debating, will I ever see the secret you've been holding back?_

 _Climbing the walls you make and calling your name, but you keep them all away_

 _Hiding all the ways you wanna yell and scream, why couldn't you just lean on me?_ "

x

"Winding _up and down, a heart I'll never know_

 _Stealing your gazing eyes, pass the lies, and see the real me_

 _Brave but lying, scared and crying_

 _When did I ever lose track?_

 _'Cause the one thing I believed in left me long ago_ "

x

"So _say the world's getting tricked by shadows, say that I'm only full of lies_

 _Hear when I say "just take my hand", trust me you can_

 _You'll never see me running, no, nothing scares me anymore_

 _Don't look away, you'll be alright, leave your worries behind_ "

x

"Echoing _a story or fated to be, see this is our destiny?_

 _Wait a little longer and I'll let you see the secret I've been holding back_

 _Growing even darker with every day, can't you see what's on the way?_

 _All your rosey memories are red and sweet, but prick you til you start to bleed_ "

x

"Wanting _to protect you from the world I know_

 _Taking a stand again, let it end, and break this destiny_

 _Fight til I'm blue, I'm beside you_

 _Know that I'll never give up_

 _'Cause the one thing I believed in left without a trace_ "

x

"So _say the world's being turned against you, say that there's no one on your side_

 _Hear when I say "you're not alone", grab tomorrow_

 _You'll never see me running, no, nothing shakes me anymore_

 _Scenarios stuck on rewind, I'll be ready to fight_ "

x

"Say _that they're all against you, say that there's no one on your side_

 _Hear when I say "just take my hand", trust me you can_

 _You'll always be my side, now that I know what's true, I'll fight_

 _Through every scene and every life, with these hands of the night_ "

x

"Say _that we know the answer, say that we've heard it all our lives_

 _You'll never see me running, no, nothing scares me anymore_

 _I'll be ready to fight_ "

"Wow Natsuki!" Heiji clapped. "I didn't know you could play!"

"I'm going to go check on Kana," the old man walked off.

"Heiji-san," Natsuki whispered, pulling the detective in.

"The D-note wasn't clear. It was muted and I wasn't using the damper pedal," he pointed to the piano.

Without another thought, Heiji was attempting to open the piano.

Taped onto the wire for the D-note, was a piece of paper.

* * *

 _*the girl looks like the one in the 43rd ending (Koi Ni Koishite)_

 _Cliffhangers, how I love you~ Anyway, how was that? Heiji and Natsuki have discovered the first clue to unraveling this time's mystery! Since this week was productive, I decided to get a chapter done._

 _Also, I'm fairly certain this little arc will come to 3 parts. I hope. I keep saying that, but they always end a chapter later! XD_

 _A little more background for Janet. When her parents were still alive, she took piano lessons. She didn't keep them up after about age 7, but she played on occasion if she found a song she liked._

 _ANYway, next time, we'll be seeing things from Conan's point of inspection, because he found something too!_

 _Also, who can guess the song I used?_

 _NEXT TIME: CLUES?_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :)_


	31. Clues?

Chapter Thirty-One

* * *

"My theory is that is you look confident you can pull off anything - even if you have no clue what you're doing."

-Jessica Alba

* * *

Conan looked around the extensive western garden as the children played hide-and-seek.

It was a lovely garden, with blooming roses and lilies. Someone had even set up a pavilion in the middle. Nothing seemed out of place though, which bothered the little detective.

If someone was being stalked, then you'd assume that there would be clues. And seeing as there weren't any, Conan had to rule out any outside suspects. Someone on the inside was causing all of this anxiety.

"Kana-sama!" a maid called.

"I brought some snacks for Kana-sama's friends!" the maid rolled a food cart heaped with sweets towards the pavilion.

"Snacks?" Genta popped out of his hiding place behind a rose bush.

"Genta-kun!" Ayumi scolded, appearing behind Conan.

"What?" the large boy frowned.

"We were playing hide-and-seek and you made us lose!"

Genta pouted and stomped off towards the pavilion. "'S'not my fault."

"Ayumi-chan!" Kana ran up to the other girl followed by Mitsuhiko.

As the kids made their way to the pavilion, Conan decided to talk to the maid.

"Ne, have you seen anything weird going on around Kana-chan?" he asked.

"Hm? Not really. Kana-sama has a very strict schedule that the master makes sure to follow," the woman explained.

No one saw anything suspicious? That made it even more likely it wasn't someone on the outside.

"But I did see a black car parked near the front gate as Kana-sama walked home one time. It was very strange so I asked the master what I should do."

A black car outside the gate? That suggested someone on the outside...

"Thank you, Onee-chan!" Conan smiled before running off to the other kids.

"So you've seen people following you?" Mitsuhiko asked as he munched on a strawberry tart.

"Un. They always wear hats so I can't see their faces," Kana replied.

"How about after we finish eating we go take a look around the neighborhood?" Ayumi suggested, finishing off a cupcake.

* * *

Natsuki and Heiji read the note from the piano.

"I've already set it all up. Tell me when you're ready and we'll pick up the girl," Natsuki read aloud.

"A mysterious note that was suspiciously placed in a piano where no one would know..." Heiji mumbled.

"Unless they played it," Natsuki added.

"Yeah. But the main question is who put it there?" the Osakan rubbed the back of his head.

* * *

Conan followed the kids around the mansion, feeling quite put out.

So far, after an hour of searching, they still hadn't found any clues besides a small ripped piece of paper that said, "Kana" on it. The little detective was beginning to think that maybe this was all just the result of an overactive imagination.

They passed by the door to Kana's grandfather's study and Conan heard voices inside.

He stopped to peek through the crack in the door.

"Yes, yes. Note? I haven't checked. Everything is ready? Good. I'll dispose of it later. ...yes, now. No, don't hurt her. It's just to scare her."

Conan's eyes widened.

"An inconspicuous vehicle would work best. Don't forget to get rid of the plate."

The old man hung up and walked towards the door. Conan ran as fast as he could to find the kids.

He ran around the mansion, calling their names before running outside just in time to see them being pushed into a van by some men in masks.

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi yelled, trying to get away.

The girls seemed to be unharmed, but the boys were unconscious.

"Shit! There was one more!" one of the kidnappers swore.

"Hurry up!"

Conan readied his stun-gun watch but the kidnappers had already loaded all of the kids in the car and the last kidnapper was already shutting his door.

Before they could drive off however, the shrunken detective ran up to the van and placed one of his tracking stickers on the bumper.

"Dammit," Conan swore.

* * *

Natsuki and Heiji were perusing the kitchen when an out of breath Conan appeared in the doorway.

"Ku- Conan? What's up, man?" Heiji asked.

"The kids! They've been kidnapped!" Conan yelled.

"What?" Natsuki and Heiji shouted.

"A van, out in front! I put a tracker on it, but it won't last forever!" Conan coughed out the last couple of words.

"Natsuki! Get some water!" Heiji commanded.

Natsuki spun around before spotting a pitcher filled with liquid.

Assuming it was water, he grabbed a glass and filled it to the brim before handing it to the child.

Conan took a large gulp before making a face.

"This isn't water! It's alcohol!"

Natsuki paled. "Oh god, I'm so sorry!"

As Natsuki went to get another glass and fill it with actual water, Conan groaned.

"Hey, Kudou, you ok?" Heiji asked.

Another groan followed by the sound of falling onto the ground.

Conan had collapsed and was holding his chest.

"Kudou!" Heiji yelled.

A pain-filled cry wrenched itself from Conan's throat.

Natsuki watched as Conan grew and grew until he was Kudou Shinichi.

"Oh my god," Natsuki heard himself say.

"Kudou!" Heiji yelled.

"I can hear you just fine, shut up," Shinichi growled, sitting up.

"Ah..." Natsuki stuttered.

"Crap, forgot about him," Heiji muttered.

"Are you ok?!" Natsuki demanded.

"Ah, I'm fine. Could use some clothes, though," Shinichi grinned.

"Right. Let me take care of that," Natsuki awkwardly walked out of the kitchen.

"Have you told him?" Heiji asked.

Shinichi nodded.

"Oh."

* * *

A change of clothes later, Shinichi emerged from the bathroom wearing a butler's suit.

"Sorry about the clothes... that was all they had," Natsuki apologized.

"At least it isn't a dress," Shinichi sighed as he pulled on the white gloves.

"Are either of you going to explain why he knows?" Heiji pointed to Natsuki.

"Later. Right now, we've got 4 kids to rescue," Shinichi looked down at his Conan glasses and turned on the tracker.

A little yellow dot pulsed on the right.

"Gotcha."

* * *

 _Hey! SO I managed to finish this chapter in an hour and HO MY GOD. I barely managed to get past the 1000 word mark. (That's my quota for every chapter). I had just remembered I needed to write a chapter since I was playing Animal Crossing HHD last night and went to bed around 2 (though that wasn't because of the game. It was cause I was watching Lawrence of Arabia). Also, I read AoNoAo. That fucked my shit up. Hard. There was so much nope and then yas but then more nope. Also, can I just say how much I love K-Cross? They're the best. Eternal Kid is great but shit if I have mixed feelings on 2/3 of their work. And if any of you have NO idea what I'm talking about, I'm talking about Detective Conan doujinshis. If you are a terrible fujoshi like I am, and you are a hardcore KaiShin shipper, then you can find them at My Reading Manga (also some HeiShin and HakuKai but who cares about those, amirite? But no, those're good too just type in Conan in the search bar and you should find 'em) Anyway I'll stop rambling and get on with the next chapter announcement. (ALSO, 3 CHAPTER ARC HELL YEAH)_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: SOME EXPLAINING TO DO_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :D_

 _alsoifoundoutthatMagicKaitou1412gotcharactersongsand_


	32. Some Explaining To Do

Chapter Thirty-Two

* * *

"Never chase a lie. Let it alone, and it will run itself into death."

-Lyman Beecher

* * *

Natsuki, Shinichi, and Heiji crouched down underneath a window at the abandoned building.

It seemed to have been once used as an office building, but the years hadn't been kind to it. Paint was flaking and the building itself was falling apart at the seams.

"So what're we supposed to do with the extra brats we got?" a voice growled.

"Just shut up an' guard them. We still haven't gotten any instructions from the boss," another voice hissed.

"Oh, an' I suppose you even know what instructions are, considering you were the one who botched our last job," the first voice snarled.

"What was I supposed to do? Let the bastard run an' alert the police? We all know I did the right thing, killin' 'im. Or would you rather spend the rest o' yer life sittin' in jail?"

Natsuki held a hand over his mouth. These people were murderers.

"We need a plan," Shinichi mumbled.

"A way to get inside..." Natsuki thought out loud.

"Right now they have two guards posted in front of the door and two guarding the kids. We need a distraction," Shinichi told Natsuki and Heiji.

 _For a distraction to work, someone needs to be caught,_ Natsuki thought.

"I-"

"I'll get captured," Heiji volunteered.

"What?" Shinichi asked.

"We need someone ta cause a distraction, right? So, I'll get captured."

"Well, yes, but-"

"So I'll do it," Heiji said, staring directly at his friend.

"You're too valuable," Natsuki heard himself say. "I'll do it. I don't have anything in the way of brawn or much training besides awkward flailing. I'm much less important to getting the kids than you. And besides, I can do something worthwhile rather than sit here and wait."

Shinichi turned to Natsuki. "Are you sure?"

Natsuki nodded.

A few minutes later, Natsuki was tied up, gagged, and sitting with the kids.

Ayumi looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Natsuki tried to smile reassuringly through the gag.

"Hmph. You sure this kid is male?" a man with a pig mask asked.

He seemed to be the owner of the first voice.

"Thas' what he said," a man with a skull mask replied.

That one was one of the guards posted outside who caught Natsuki "snooping".

"I dun' believe it," the pig said, inching closer.

He pulled out a knife and dragged it through Natsuki's shirt, cutting it open.

Natsuki flinched as the knife cut through skin.

"Huh. It is a guy," the pig retracted the knife.

"Told ya. What were you gonna do if it wasn't?"

"Have me some fun, that's what. We haven't gotten any time to relax ever since we took on this job. I need m' booze and women!" the pig huffed and sat balk onto the folding chair.

"In front of kids? Yer messed up."

"What? It'd be more of an' education that what they'd get at school, so they'd be thanking me."

A snort came from the skull.

"I'm going back outside. The boss posted me out there for a reason."

"I did," a voice heavy with accent said.

The skull whipped around. "Boss!"

"I believe I told you wait outside, no?" a blonde woman walked into the room.

She was wearing a purple butterfly mask and a red cocktail dress. "It seems incompetents can't even follow simple orders."

"I'm terribly sorry Boss!" the skull flew to the floor, kneeling in front of her.

"I have one more job for you, so I won't kill you. Yet," she stepped over the man and made her way to Natsuki and the kids.

"You're not bad looking," she purred, stroking Natsuki's cut.

Natsuki tried to look away.

"Are you afraid?" she questioned. "How about you tell me all about yourself?"

The woman pulled off the gag and waited.

" _Fuck off,"_ Natsuki spat in English, not in control of his mouth.

" _You know English?"_ the woman grinned. _"You are becoming more and more interesting..."_

 _"Then maybe you'll find this interesting,"_ Natsuki told her, slamming his head into her chin.

With that, the two men inside fell to the ground with a soft groan and a thud.

" _What?!"_ the woman hissed, holding her bruised chin.

Soon, she was laying on the ground with her 4 henchmen.

"Finally," Natsuki sighed as Heiji untied the rope on him.

Natsuki stretched and cracked his back.

"Are you kids ok?" Shinichi asked, already done with the kids.

Genta and Mitsuhiko seemed a bit woozy but the girls were wiping away dried tears.

"Thank you, Shinichi-niisan!" Ayumi smiled.

"Thank you," Genta and Mitsuhiko managed.

"Try not to talk. You may have a concussion," Shinchi warned.

Heiji was already on the phone with the police, telling them to bring an ambulance and handcuffs.

* * *

Heiji watched Natsuki move around, seemingly unaware of his ripped shirt.

The Osakan was quite aware of it, however, finding himself staring at the exposed chest and wrenching his head away.

Something about seeing the smaller boy's chest made his face flush.

He wasn't gay.

Right?

* * *

As Natsuki watched the little boys being checked by the paramedics, he noticed the old man handcuffed being taken away in a squad car.

"So I guess you found the culprit, huh?" he asked Shinichi.

"Yes. It wasn't hard, with the paper and the phone call, which recorded, thankfully."

"Wow. Bad planning," Natsuki commented.

Shinichi laughed. "Yeah, really. It was probably because the old man wanted to make sure he got a way to hold them to their end of the deal."

"Sir, would you like us to treat your cut?" one paramedic asked Natsuki.

Natsuki looked down, seeing his exposed chest for the first time.

"Oh. Yes, thank you."

He was guided to a chair where the paramedic disinfected and bandaged the cut. It wasn't deep, but it was long.

The unmasked butterfly woman winked at Natsuki as she was forced into a squad car.

 _I'll be back, darling,_ she mouthed.

Natsuki shuddered involuntarily.

He then remembered how he had volunteered himself for bait. And when he stood up to the woman. He hadn't been in control of his body both of those times.

 _What's going on?_ he wondered.

* * *

 _AHHHHHHHHHHHHH WE'RE DONE! FINALLY, I MAKE A 3 PART ARC! ABOUT TIME! This is also the first chapter where Natsuki/ Ruri swears. I don't like swearing out loud or even writing it, but I thought it would be appropriate here. THE NEXT ARC WILL BE A NATSUKI CHANGES BACK INTO RURI FOR A SHORT WHILE! XD sohappytoseemygirlagain *cough* what. Also, something seems to be going on with Natsuki? What could it be? (Hint: It's not the B.O.)_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: RURI IS BACK?!_

 _DFTBA EVERYONE! :)_


	33. Ruri Is Back?

Chapter Thirty-Three

* * *

"Of joys departed, not to return, how painful the remembrance."

-Robert Blair

* * *

Sunlight filtered in through the blinds of the simple one-room apartment that Natsuki had rented.

The birds chirped as they greeted the morning sun, singing nature's alarm.

The futon rustled as the body underneath began to rouse.

With a yawn and an annoyed sigh, Natsuki was up.

But something was different that morning. For one, the chest area seemed heavier.

Natsuki glanced downwards.

* * *

Ai was working on her computer when the phone started ringing.

"Hello?" she answered.

"IHAVEMYBODYBACKIMSOHAPPYBUTIMSCAREDWHATHAPPENEDWHATDOIDO"

"Natsuki?" Ai asked as she brought the phone back to her ear.

"Hey, uh, sorry. Um, I have my body back."

"You do?" Ai asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I just woke up and..." the voice trailed off.

"..."

"Ai?"

"Go ahead and be Ruri. But be careful. I don't know when you'll turn back."

"Ok, thanks."

* * *

"I think I'll take the day off from school and go check out the house," Ruri smiled.

It was good to be back.

* * *

"Tsukino-san didn't come today..." Aoko sighed. "First Ruri-chan and then Natsuki-san..."

* * *

Ruri looked at the newspaper stand.

The headline for today was:

"Kaitou KID has announced his next target!

Will Nakamori-keibu be able to keep The Crystal Lily safe?"

Ruri tried to suppress a laugh.

"Up and at 'em, huh?"

She walked away and towards a nearby cake shop.

"I wonder if I should I pay a visit to a certain thieving magician?"

* * *

 _Short chapter (really a filler kind of thing but the next one is coming, I promise)_

 _NEXT CHAPTER: KID FOR THE NIGHT_

 _DFTBA!_


	34. KID For the Night

Chapter Thirty-Four

* * *

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."

-Robert Frost

* * *

Kaito looked around at the other displayed works of art in the museum hosting the famous carved lapis lazuli, The Crystal Lily.

He was only really there for one, but hey, why not take a look at the other ones while he was here?

Of course, it would've been better if Ruri was with him...

It had been a while since the girl had last called and he was beginning to worry.

It was only a few minutes until KID's appointed time so he walked towards the bathroom to switch disguises.

On the way there, he saw someone he hadn't expected to see.

"Ruri?" he accidently voiced out loud.

She turned and her brow knit together.

"Do I know you?" she asked, confused.

Kaito remembered in time that he was disguised as an old man.

"I'm hurt that you didn't recognize me, ojou-san," he switched to his KID voice.

* * *

Ruri stared at the old man who produced that smooth sounding voice.

"KID?" she asked.

"You might want to keep your voice down," he hissed, putting a finger to his lips.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Give me a moment," he smiled.

The old man tottered into the men's restroom. Within a minute, a uniformed task force member emerged.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you at any of my heists since the one with Suzuki-jii," KID sighed, fixing the hat on his head.

"I've been a little... tied up," Ruri tried to explain.

"I'm glad you're safe and sound," the thief patted Ruri's head.

"If not a little more stressed," she joked.

"Stressed?" KID's head tilted to the side.

Ruri nodded.

KID grinned.

"How would you like to be KID for the night?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're in luck, I happen to have a spare suit with me..." KID trailed off. "But we can't change you here."

* * *

Ruri looked over at KID with skepticism.

"So you're saying you want me to be KID with you?"

He nodded. "Sounds fun, right?"

"For you maybe... me..." Ruri looked down at the case holding the Crystal Lily.

"Don't be such a worrywart. Come here," KID gestured for her to come closer to him.

He pulled out a big white cloth and quickly wrapped it around her.

With a tug, it fell away.

"Good. It fits," he breathed a sigh of relief.

Ruri looked down at her new outfit.

She wore a white suit just like KID's but instead of pants there was a white skirt. Instead of white loafers, white pumps.

"Just so you know, I have no experience with heels," Ruri commented once she saw the shoes.

"Don't worry too much about them," KID grinned. "How is your acting?"

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight, I have a very special show for you!"

Nakamori-keibu stared at the sight before him.

A female KID stood on the case.

Said female KID held the Crystal Lily.

"Just for tonight, I've decided to mix things up a bit, so I hope you enjoy the magic that I've prepared," she said, grinning that trademark grin.

"I hope you can catch me, _Inspector Nakamori,_ " the female KID blew a kiss and disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

* * *

"I swear to god, so help me, I will-" Ruri was cut off as KID started laughing.

"Don't worry. All you have to do is put on a good show and then jump off. No biggie," he explained again through the tiny earpiece Ruri wore.

"There you are, KID!" Nakamori-keibu yelled.

"Oops, sounds like they caught up," KID commented.

"Thank you Captain Obvious, for that," Ruri rolled her eyes.

"Welcome, Nakamori-keibu!" Ruri curtsied. "So nice of you to join me."

"You sure have gotten sick, dressing up as a girl to your own heist," the inspector grumbled.

"Oh, keibu! I just wanted to mix things up a bit!" Ruri pouted and fluttered her eyelashes.

She could hear KID snickering in the earpiece.

"I can see that," he groaned.

"Lift up your skirt a bit," KID told Ruri.

Ruri rolled her eyes.

"I just wanted to have fun..." Ruri pouted, lifting up the skirt.

KID laughed as several of the officer's eyes bugged. "This is too good!"

"Don't just stand there! Get him!" Nakamori-keibu yelled, shocking the officers out of their trance.

"Ok, this is it, you have to jump now," KID commanded.

"I-I..." Ruri looked at the ground below.

"Trust me. I'll catch you," KID said, voice soothing and reassuring.

"You're lucky I do," Ruri took a deep breath in.

"Adieu, my beloved task force!" she grinned and waved, letting her body fall over the edge of the building.

* * *

"Never again," Ruri collapsed onto the sidewalk.

"Hey, I caught you, didn't I?" KID handed her a canned tea.

"Yes, but we had to keep running for a long time!"

"You're at least less stressed now, right?"

Ruri looked at her tea. "Yeah. Thanks."

"How did you even manage that trick?" she asked.

"A magician never tells," KID grinned.

Ruri laughed. "I should've expected that answer," she sighed.

* * *

 _And the chapter ends here! XD How Ruri got away was that she disappeared into a cloud of pink smoke as she was falling (which was a cover for our beloved thief to catch her). The task force then scoured the surrounding area for them._

 _ANYWAY, I found out that there is a town in Japan (where Gosho Aoyama was born) and it has statues, **statues** of Detective Conan characters. Even a Conan bridge. I mean, wow. Can I just. That is dedication for you._

 _Also, I posted a drawing on my deviantART. (creases will forever baffle me) It's called KID for the Night. (my deviantART is dreamflyer1100, same as here)_

 _And with that, the next chapter (Ruri is still here) is going to be a karaoke chapter with Sonoko, Ran, and hey, even KID! (I love my Ruri and she needs some love)_

 _NEXT TIME ( ̶o̶n̶ ̶D̶r̶a̶g̶o̶n̶B̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶Z̶): KARAOKE_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :D_


	35. Karaoke Time

Chapter Thirty-Five

* * *

 _Uploading this a little early since I'll be gone for this weekend. Also, possible trigger warning here. For... drugging...? I think? I know there's a trigger warning in there somewhere._

* * *

"The only thing better than singing is more singing."

-Ella Fitzgerald

* * *

Ruri was elated when she woke up still herself. She had decided to spend the night at the Kudo mansion since staying at either of her residences would've been fishy.

Dressing herself, she rushed to the lab where Ai worked most times.

As Ruri passed by the library area, she heard voices.

"I don't know why you insist on coming here to clean, Ran!"

"It's just to make sure that Shinichi doesn't come back to a dirty house..."

"Still!"

Ruri peaked into the library and saw two very familiar faces. Ran and Sonoko.

 _I should probably make myself scarce since me being looks bad..._ Ruri thought, turning around.

"Ruri-chan? Is that you?" Sonoko asked.

 _Oh dear mother of-_

"What are you doing here?"

Ruri pasted on a smile and turned to face the two girls.

"I had something to discuss with the hakase... ahaha..." she tried. It wasn't technically a lie.

"You know Shinichi?" Ran butt in.

"Um... somewhat?" Ruri tried to not look directly at the karate champion.

"Have you heard from him?" Ran asked, eyebrows scrunched together.

"...no...?"

Ran deflated. "...oh."

"But I think he's ok! After all, he's the type to check in, right?" Ruri tried to cheer the girl up.

"I still think you should give up on him. He's dense to a fault and even disappears on you!" Sonoko muttered.

 _Can't really argue with that..._ Ruri thought.

"Un..." Ran still had her shoulders slumped and was avoiding eye contact.

"You need to get out and meet more boys!" Sonoko told the girl. "We're going to a mixer tomorrow!"

Ran looked at her friend. "Eh?"

"You're coming too, Ruri-chan!"

"Me?" Ruri pointed at herself. "But-"

"No excuses!"

"Oh dear," Ruri mumbled.

* * *

Fortunately, Ruri had stayed female for the next day. Unfortunately, Sonoko was very good at threatening to track someone down and- well, the idea was clear. Go or have a very rich person track you down with the help of one of the most influential people in the country. It wasn't a hard choice.

So here Ruri was, sitting in a cramped karaoke room with Ran, Sonoko, and 3 other guys.

They weren't bad looking by any means but Ruri simply wasn't interested.

She hadn't dressed up by any standard, a pair of jeans and a modest blouse completed with a pair of short boots. The blue hair tie was ever present.

"You're Ruri, right?" one of the guys asked as Sonoko sang. "I'm Takumi."

He was handsome, by some standards. His hair was a light brown that was styled with a little too much hair gel.

Ruri nodded, not really wanting to be there.

"Cute name," Takumi commented.

"Thanks," Ruri mumbled.

"Why don't you sing, Ruri-chan?" Sonoko asked, sitting back down.

"Eh? Me?" she looked around the room.

"I'd like to hear your voice," Takumi leaned in a little close.

Ruri shot out of her seat. "I think I may pass."

Then she noticed Sonoko. "On second thought, I'll sing."

Ruri walked over to the machine and scrolled through the list of songs.

 _I hope there are some I know..._

She eventually settled on one that was slightly familiar. And ironic, considering where she was.

 _"QUEST FOR LOVE, QUEST FOR DREAM,  
QUEST FOR ALL TRUTH!  
Because only the dream hidden in your eyes  
Won't be taken away by anyone  
Vividly now, embrace the truth!_

In your smile you hide the scars of a cooled heart  
You're gripping tightly onto pieces of glass...

Even if you lied to yourself, you can't become grown up  
Just believe in only your earnest feeling...

Whatever kind of sadness and pain  
I only want to share it with myself, even among crowds of people...

QUEST FOR LOVE, QUEST FOR DREAM,  
QUEST FOR ALL TRUTH!  
My uncontrollable enthusiasm  
Draws out the future that I aimed for  
'Cause the "answer" = "your own self"!

QUEST FOR LOVE, QUEST FOR DREAM,  
QUEST FOR ALL TRUTH!  
Because only the dream hidden in your eyes  
Won't be taken away by anyone  
Vividly now, embrace the truth!

In the quietness of nights that we pass hugging our knees  
If we snuggle our backs together...

The warmth of touched shoulders, your tears that flowed  
Will be reborn before daybreak...into strength!

Even if we're separated, we  
Can stop time and call out to each other, if there's love...

QUEST FOR LOVE, QUEST FOR DREAM,  
QUEST FOR ALL TRUTH!  
With a kiss that seems to engulf it  
Release the shut door  
Earlier than wishing for a miracle!

QUEST FOR LOVE, QUEST FOR DREAM,  
QUEST FOR ALL TRUTH!  
The youth unfulfillable by an instant  
Shining from the twinkling stars  
Still with your heart pounding, run through and burn it into your mind!

Hope...fleeting... And loneliness...dreary...  
Nevertheless, I want to live at this street corner, with you...!

QUEST FOR LOVE, QUEST FOR DREAM,  
QUEST FOR ALL TRUTH!  
My uncontrollable enthusiasm  
Draws out the future that I aimed for  
'Cause the "answer" = "your own self"!

QUEST FOR LOVE, QUEST FOR DREAM,  
QUEST FOR ALL TRUTH!  
Because only the dream hidden in your eyes  
Won't be taken away by anyone  
Vividly now, embrace the truth!"

"That was amazing, Ruri-chan!" Sonoko cheered.

Ran smiled.

The boys whooped and clapped.

"Thanks," Ruri mumbled as she returned to her seat.

Ruri picked up her drink and took a sip. She made a face as it tasted slightly off.

As one of the boys named Daichi finished up his song, Ruri began to feel dizzy.

She excused herself and headed for the woman's restroom.

Before she could get there, Ruri found herself leaning against the side of the wall, struggling to keep her balance. Her vision focused in and out.

"Are you drunk?" came a familiar suave voice.

"No... drugged..." came Ruri's slurred reply.

"Drugged?"

Ruri attempted to nod, but fell forward into a gentle embrace.

"By whom? Do you know?"

A slightly spasmed shake of the head.

Warm hands threaded through her hair, making Ruri sleepy.

"Maybe others... also..." she managed.

Ruri hoped her point came across as her words slurred even more.

It apparently did as the hands patted her head in understanding. Or at least it felt like understanding.

"Hey, stay with me," the voice urged.

Ruri tried to focus her eyes on the turtleneck sweater she was currently clutching. It was a dull grey.

 _A very dull grey. Almost painfully so. Oh. I can see the fibers._

"You ok?" the voice asked.

Ruri looked up at her savior.

Messy hair and a hat obscured most of the face, but she knew who it was.

"Why... KID... here?" Ruri's speech wasn't quite as slurred.

"We can talk about that later. Where are your friends?"

Ruri pointed down the hall. "The... green door..."

"Ok. Stay here." The warmth receded and Ruri found herself slumped against the wall again.

"Ha...ha...funny," she tried to smile.

There was a snort and then silence.

"Excuse me! Did someone call for service?"

* * *

Ruri sat in the relative warmth that was KID's embrace. Well, it wasn't really an embrace. It was really more him trying to help her stand.

"Thank you for helping my friends," she said.

"No problem. I am a gentleman, after all."

"And a thief..." Ruri added, smiling.

"Can't deny it," KID grinned.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Y'know, that was the first time I've ever been drugged," Ruri finally commented.

"Lucky for you it was a small dose. And let's hope it's the last time," KID tightened his grip around Ruri's waist. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I think I can stand on my own, now," Ruri pushed away from the thief.

She wobbled slightly, and KID's hands shot out to catch her. But she didn't fall.

"There. See?" Ruri put her hands on her hips triumphantly.

"Yes, yes, I see," KID smiled.

"Say, have you ever seen the Bell Tree Tower at night from a highrise?"

* * *

 _Ahahaha... long chapter since I'll be gone for this weekend. I'll have a short date chapter posted sometime next week (that is basically just what happened that night when KID took Ruri to see the Bell Tree Tower)._

 _So... that's it. I have literally nothing to talk about. I know these are a little longer than... now... but... I've been up since 10 am yesterday so... yeah. Oh wait, I got Rick Riordan's new book. Got it yesterday and finished it up around 7 this morning. Good book. Little disappointed though. I've read the Meitantei Loki Ragnarok series by Sakura Kinoshita so I'm a little (really) partial to Loki. ANYWAY._

 _NEXT TIME: IF IT DOESN'T HAVE BELLS, WHY IS IT CALLED THE BELL TREE TOWER?_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :)_


	36. The Story Title Is Too Long I Can't Fit-

Chapter Thirty-Five 1/2

* * *

"So why were you following me?" Ruri asked as they passed a sweets shop.

KID hummed. "No special reason."

Ruri stared at the messy haired thief in an attempt to unnerve him. It didn't work.

"So what were you saying about the Bell Tree Tower earlier?" she finally asked.

"I was wondering if you had ever seen it at night from a highrise," the thief grinned.

"I haven't. I suppose you're going to rectify that, aren't you?" Ruri sighed.

* * *

Ruri looked at the Bell Tree Tower in awe. "I never realized how pretty it was!"

"Right?" KID smiled.

"I suppose you know all of the good spots in the city, huh? Considering your occupation," Ruri smiled back.

"True. But it's pretty meaningless if you can't share them with someone."

"Do you have someone to share them with?" the girl asked, pushing away some hair that had gotten in her face from the wind.

"I do."

"And what're they like? Is it a childhood friend? A lover?" Ruri was genuinely curious.

"Well... she's got brown hair, blue eyes..."

 _Aoko, definitely._

"She's about this high..." KID put out his hand against his chest. "Her hair curls at the bottom, and she wears a blue ribbon in her hair that I gave her."

"Huh... eh?!" Ruri couldn't contain her shock.

She felt her face heat up despite the cold.

KID stepped closer to her. "She's a little bit of a ditz, once beat up a man to help an internationally wanted thief, and is named Yukihisa Ruri."

Ruri turned away from the grinning thief, her face completely red all the way to her ears. "I'm not a ditz," she mumbled indignantly.

"Yes you are," KID's voice laughed.

Warm arms wrapped around Ruri, pulling her into a broad chest. "You're cold, aren't you?"

Ruri was tempted to bury herself deeper into the warmth. Instead, she pushed away.

"I'm fine," she smiled. "But we may want to leave since we're not really allowed up here."

"You think that matters to an internationally wanted criminal?"

"I guess not," Ruri admitted as she looked up at the moon.

* * *

 _A really short mini-chapter since I wasn't gone as long as I thought I would be. Anyway, I WATCHED THE 19TH MOVIE! :D It was a little disappointing, but hey, we got to see KID!_

 _Also, this chapter may be canon (fic-wise) but it doesn't mean anything is going to happen (romance-wise). For now, it should be considered as a flag, but more two friends playing around than really a flag (which I suppose may not make sense but I don't know any other way to word it). It should be more attributed to KID's meaningless flirting than anything romantic._

 _I had fun writing how KID described Ruri. XD_

 _NEXT TIME: RURI'S SCHOOL RETURN_

 _DFTBA GUYS! :D_


	37. Ruri's School Return

Chapter Thirty Six

* * *

 _So I'm a little late with this because I decided to make some Mitarashi Dango (1st time) and it took way longer than I thought they would (tasted just like the ones I got in Little Tokyo in San Francisco though if not a little burnt). The next item on my cooking list is takoyaki and then taiyaki. ...I have yet to buy either of their pans. And I have yet to actually try taiyaki, but hey! I'm almost there. Also, I'm quitting with the quote thing because ugh, it's hard to find good ones. If you want them back, go ahead and tell me, and I'll put them back._

* * *

Aoko watched as Kaito terrorized the class by turning them into monsters (it was almost Halloween after all). She didn't bother to try and stop him, though. They both had been rather depressed when Ruri hadn't shown up for the past few weeks. Strangely enough, today Kaito wasn't depressed anymore. Her first thought was maybe he had discovered how to perform a new trick, but since he had yet to show it off, that thought was quickly dismissed.

The reason for his cure, however, was currently standing in front of the school, daunted by the thought of being bombarded with questions from both Hakuba and Aoko.

"You're Yukihisa Ruri, aren't you?"

A female voice made Ruri turn around.

"Koizumi-san," she breathed. "You startled me."

"What are you doing all the way out here?" the witch inquired. "I thought you would be saying hello to your friends."

"Um... well..." Ruri hesitated.

"Don't keep them waiting. I'm sure they've been quite worried about you, Yukihisa Ruri," Akako smiled before walking past the girl, closely followed by her entourage of boys.

Akako paused and turned back towards the girl. "And one more thing."

"When blue met indigo,

The wheel of fate began to turn.

As the sky chases the moon,

an unknown fate shall descend."

With another smile, Ruri was left on her own to contemplate the meaning of the witch's mysterious words.

* * *

Ruri stood in front of the door to the classroom, watching as Kaito turned every person into some monster. There were already several mummies, 3 werewolves, 6 Frankensteins, 4 cats, an angel, a devil, and the rest had yet to be transformed.

She mustered up her courage and slid the door open.

No one really noticed her presence until she sat down in her seat.

"Ruri!" Hakuba and Aoko yelled, jumping up from their seats to rush over to hers.

"Are you ok?!" Aoko demanded. "You're not sick, are you?"

"Where have you been? We've been worried!" Hakuba practically slammed his hands on Ruri's desk.

Kaito watched from a distance, still changing people into monster costumes. He inwardly smiled. It was so good to have Ruri back.

Ruri tried to explain to her friends that she wasn't sick, she's ok, and that she was staying over at a friend's house.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Ruri said, smiling sadly.

"Hakuba!" Kaito called, readying a smoke bomb.

The London detective turned and was hit in the face with a cloud of smoke.

When it cleared, he had turned into a very confused werewolf.

"Kurobaaa..." he growled.

Kaito laughed hysterically as the blond slowly walked over to his desk and slumped in his chair, all the while grumbling, "I hate you. I hate you so much. Why?"

The prankster turned to Aoko when he had gotten all of his giggles out.

Aoko sighed. "If you put me in something indecent, I will kick you all the way to America."

Kaito grinned before throwing a smoke bomb.

Aoko emerged as a medieval knight, decked out with armor and a sword. Which was not real, thankfully.

As Kaito turned towards Ruri, he smiled. "Glad to have you back, Ruri."

"Glad to be back," Ruri returned the smile before being hit with a smoke bomb.

She emerged as an angel, complete with big fluffy wings and halo. And a slightly short white tunic that was about as long as her school uniform.

"As pure as can be," the magician grinned.

"And who are you going to be?" Ruri asked, flashing a grin of her own.

"Why, I'm going to be the 2nd most wonderful, talented, and handsome magician in the world! Kaitou KID!" Kaito was engulfed in smoke and grinned as the smoke cleared.

"Of course," Aoko sighed.

Hakuba had perked up and glared at Kaito, obviously wishing he could arrest him.

"Who's the 1st?" Ruri asked.

"Me, of course," Kaito huffed, acting offended.

His pout quickly changed into a genuine smile as he pulled Ruri in for a hug.

"We missed you," he whispered.

* * *

 _Shorter than usual, but it's because I'm really tired. Also, I forgot to ask, what big arc would you like me to do next? I'm thinking maybe a Magic Kaitou 1412 episode (or manga doesn't really matter). Let me know!_

 _NEXT TIME: ALL HALLOW'S EVE_

 _DFTBA GUYS!_


	38. All Hallow's Eve

Chapter Thirty-Seven

* * *

 _If anyone can tell, yeah, I like MonMusu. It's so cool! I love all the different types of monsters and how well thought out they are! Also I recommend listening to the main theme from Ib (Memory). I listened to that song and think it goes surprisingly well with this!_

* * *

As the full moon rose over the dark woods, Ruri felt a cold wind brush past her.

"Where am I and how did I get here?" she voiced aloud.

The moon illuminated part of the wood, so the girl could see where she was going.

The fog was heavy as she made her way through.

"It's so cold," Ruri mumbled, rubbing her arms.

Dead leaves and branches crunched underneath her feet, making the only sound in the emptiness. Her feet began to feel like pins were being stabbed in them.

The fog gradually began to grow thicker as Ruri trekked deeper and deeper, trying to ignore the pain.

A wolf howled in the distance as her way became even more unclear.

"Geez, I hope I don't encounter anything monstrous," she half-joked.

As an owl hooted, Ruri ran into a stone wall. She rubbed her nose and looked up.

"Huh. This seems a little too convenient."

She spotted a big double door to her left and started walking towards it.

"Girl gets lost in woods and comes across a mysterious castle. Sounds like the setup for a bad fanfiction," the brunette grumbled, pulling on the door.

It creaked open and Ruri peered in.

It was a castle all right. A large ballroom and grand staircase dominated most of the view.

"Ok..." Ruri stepped inside and the door closed shut with a loud bang.

She cringed and hoped the noise didn't wake up the residents.

"Well, well, what have we here?" a voice rang out.

Ruri froze.

"A fish...?"

"Certainly smells like it," another voice laughed.

As two figures stepped into view Ruri's eyes widened.

"Kaito-san? Shinichi-san?" she asked.

The two boys traded looks. They looked different.

"How do you know our names?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito grinned. "Aw, c'mon Shinichi, you're scaring her!"

He bounded over to Ruri and scooped her up.

"Wha-!"

"You're not used to walking, are you?" the magician asked.

Ruri opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Shinichi.

"I apologize if I frightened you. We have a heated pool if you would like to change back," he smiled as best he could.

Ruri noticed elongated fangs and couldn't stop herself. "You're... a vampire?"

"Well, yes, I assumed you knew," Shinichi looked sheepish. "Monsters tend to seek out other monsters, after all."

"Then..." Ruri looked up at Kaito.

"I'm a werewolf!" he chirped. "See?"

He lifted up a leg for her to see. The leg was fuzzy and built like a wolf's leg.

"Let's get you to that pool," Shinichi told her when Ruri shivered.

Kaito carried her through the winding hallways and they eventually came upon a big open area with a large pool. The ceiling was glass, so you could see the night sky above.

The pool was deep and filled with clear blue water.

Kaito gently placed Ruri next to the water.

She tentatively stuck her hand in the water and watched as it became slightly scaly. Her fingers developed webbing.

"Would you like something to change into so you don't get your clothes wet?" Shinichi offered.

Ruri nodded, not looking away and placing her other hand in the water. The water was soothing and inviting. She almost couldn't wait to get in.

She hadn't noticed the boys had left until a centaur came in carrying a stack of clothes.

"Ran-san?"

Ran nodded. "I suppose you heard of me from last year's centaur tournament, huh?"

"I brought you a swimsuit for you to use."

Ruri sifted through the stack and pulled up a bikini top

"You don't have anything... less revealing?" she asked, embarrassed.

"Well... no," Ran replied. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no! Thank you!" Ruri tried to thank the centaur.

"Do you need help with putting it on?" Ran asked.

"No, I think I'm ok," Ruri looked at the bikini.

She took off her clothes and put the bikini on. She pulled her pants off and slipped into the water.

Ruri watched in awe as her legs melded together to form a brilliant blue tail.

"Wow! I've never seen a mermaid's tail as pretty as yours!" Ran cried, admiring Ruri's tail.

"Oh, thank you," Ruri blushed.

Ruri felt so at home in the water. She dove underneath and found she could breathe no problem.

She glanced up at the water's surface to see blurry figures standing at the edge.

She rose up to the surface and swam over to the edge.

"Feel better?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes, thank you," Ruri managed to heave herself onto the edge.

"You were under there for almost an hour!" Kaito laughed.

"Really? I'm sorry," Ruri lowered her head.

"You have a lovely tail," Shinichi told her, making Ruri blush.

"Thank you..."

"A brilliant shade of blue. Not unlike the daytime sky."

"?" Ruri looked at him, puzzled. Then remembered he was a vampire.

"Hey, do you mind if I go for a swim?" Kaito suddenly asked.

"No, go right ahead," the girl gestured to the pool.

Kaito pulled off his shirt and jumped in, splashing water everywhere.

"Kaito!" Shinichi yelled.

The werewolf simply laughed and swam over to Ruri.

"C'mon in. I've never seen a mermaid swim up close before!" he grinned.

Ruri nodded and slipped back into the pool. As she swam alongside Kaito and splashed him every so often, she began to feel drowsy.

 _This is fun. When did I get here?_ she absently wondered. _Was I always here?_

Kaito began to splash her back. Ruri laughed and they began a splash war.

 _Maybe it doesn't matter. After all, this is way more fun than before?_

* * *

Ruri woke up to the sound of her alarm going off.

"I get the feeling I had a weird dream... but I don't remember it at all..." she mumbled to herself as she whacked her clock and climbed out of bed to get ready for school.

* * *

 _This was a relatively crappy chapter, I know, and I'm sorry! DX I decided to do this because I was watching an episode of MonMusu and remembered I needed to do a Halloween chapter... sorry!_

 _I understand if you all hate me now..._

 _NEXT TIME: KID, CONAN, AND THE RYOMA TREASURE ILLUSION_

 _(I finally picked an episode! *cries*)_

 _I LOVE YOU ALL AND DFTBA! *goes off to eat persimmons*_


	39. KID, Conan,& the Ryoma Treasure Illusion

Chapter Thirty-Eight

* * *

 _I'm sorry if this seems a little weird. I was listening to Megalovania (Undertale ver.) and got really hyped up and things happened- I'm sorry. I'm toying with the ships now. AND I DON'T REGRET A THING._

 _Enjoy. ;)_

* * *

"And you haven't changed back since last week?"

"Un," Ruri nodded.

Ai hummed and wrote something done on her notepad. "I suppose you can go. Your body seems to be doing fine in terms of health. Call me if anything starts to happen, ok?"

"Got it," Ruri smiled. "Tell Kudou-san that I hope he's doing all right and thanks for letting me stay here."

Ai nodded and shuffled all her papers together.

* * *

Ruri flicked open her phone when it alerted her to a new text.

"Sonoko wanted to know if you heard about the notice KID sent out"

"I knew" she typed.

"Do you want to come with us to see?"

"Ok"

"Great! I'll text you the details later ok?"

"Sure"

The brunette closed her phone and smiled. It was great to have friends.

* * *

When Ruri finally arrived at the Great Suzuki Museum, it was pouring. It had been pouring since the night before.

 _I remember which one this is,_ she thought as she watched people walking through the metal detectors. _This was the Phantom Lady arc..._

"Ruri-chan!" Sonoko called, waving a hand.

Ruri ran over to where Ran, Sonoko, and Conan stood in line at the entrance.

"Okay, come on through!" a guard yelled. "Step through the gates one at a time! Next please! Don't push in!"

Ruri giggled a little as she watched Sonoko look around excitedly.

"Look!" a man cried out.

"KID?"

"Isn't that KID?!"

"KID-sama?"

Several people began rushing to the entrance to where the supposed KID was.

After yelling "KID-sama!" herself, Sonoko followed.

"W-Wait, Sonoko!" Ran called after the fangirl.

Ruri looked over the shoulders to see the large KID cosplayer pinned to the ground by a security guard.

"I can wear whatever I want, can't I?!" he demanded from his spot on the floor.

Sonoko trudged back to where Ran and Ruri were waiting.

"When you get up close, he doesn't look at all like the real thing," she sighed.

"KID wouldn't just waltz right through the gates, you know," Ran told her, hands on hips.

Ruri looked up momentarily to see a large middle-aged man walk through the gates.

They made eye-contact for a while until the man smiled and waved, moving on.

 _KID..._

"Where's KID?!" Nakamori-keibu yelled, charging straight for the cosplayer.

Ran, Sonoko, and Ruri were all waved in and the began to look at the artifacts on display.

 _The only one I remember clearly that was changed was the gunbelt plaque..._

Ruri stared at the plaque for the gunbelt. It was hard, but she could see the real one underneath the fake.

 _He's already stuck them on..._

Ruri looked over at the spot for the returned treasures. The large man was there again. As she noticed Conan walk over, she began to do the same.

She didn't hear most of the conversation, but picked up the last bits.

"...wouldn't just show up where the sign says," Conan pointed to the reserved space.

The man laughed. "W-Well, I guess you're right."

Ruri spotted Nakamori-keibu stalk into the room and go over to Conan. The large man walked away and past Ruri.

"Follow me," he whispered.

Ruri nodded and did as she was told.

They walked over to the restrooms where there was no one.

"I'm surprised you managed to pick me out of a crowd like that, ojou-san," KID finally said, spinning to face Ruri.

"Well... it wasn't all that hard..." _Think of something, quick!_ "We made eye-contact," Ruri tried to smile but failed.

KID didn't say anything.

 _Crap, crap, crap, what do I do? He knows I'm lying through my teeth! I'm sorry!_

"Well, as long as you don't tell anyone, it's fine- Hey! Are you ok?"

KID caught Ruri as she wobbled over and almost fell to the ground.

" m'fine..." she mumbled.

"No, you're obviously not! You're burning up!"

"Come on, don't faint on me! Why did you come here if you were sick?!"

"m'not sick..." Ruri slurred.

"Water, water, where's water?!" KID looked around frantically before spotting a drinking fountain.

He helped Ruri to the fountain but she shook her head.

"Phone..."

"Just drink!" he told her.

She didn't respond.

"Ruri? Oi, Ruri?! Stay with me!"

KID ripped off the mask he was wearing and took a drink of the water.

 _Please work!_ he begged internally before pressing his lips to Ruri's.

She swallowed the water and her eyes fluttered open.

"You owe me," KID panted, managing to put on his mask in time.

Ruri flushed a bright tomato red and gave a squeak.

"Now, I have something to do. You wait outside. And don't move. Not until I come out to get you, got it?" he demanded.

Ruri "eeped" out a yes and nodded.

"Good," he huffed.

* * *

Ruri waited patiently for the heist to end outside. KID had given her a coat and some spare gloves to keep her warm. She checked the time on her phone.

"I need to call Ai!" she finally remembered.

She quickly dialed the number on her phone and waited as the "trrr trrr" sound repeated.

"Moshi moshi?" the little scientist answered.

"Ah, um, it's Ruri and well... earlier... I... got a fever..."

"Fever?"

"Un. I'm at the Great Suzuki Museum and all of a sudden I almost collapsed."

"Hmmm... come see me as soon as you can, got it?"

"Un, bye."

The phone clicked and the line went dead.

Ruri closed her phone and sighed.

"We've got some talking to do," a voice made Ruri jump and drop her phone.

* * *

 _I AM AN ASSHOLE~ I AM AN ASSHOLE~ I AM **SUCH** AN ASSHOLE~! LOOK AT ME! *cough*_

 _Sorry. (I love anyone who gets that reference)_

 _Anyway, as stated in the intro note, I was listening to Megolovania and made the mistake of taking a break and watching Sans' genocide boss fight. (I would never be able to play through the genocide route) Despite the fact that his theme is BADASS AS HELL, I almost cried. Legitimately almost cried. Like, his last words. I can't. I really can't. EVEN IF YOU SPARE HIM, YOU STILL- AGH. AGH. *sobs* SANS BUDDY I'M SORRY._

 _Anyway, KID and Ruri kissing is a thing now. Even if it wasn't romantic. *runs away* I'M STILL NOT SURE I WANT TO DO ROMANCE! *holds up pillow as shield* This really asshole move was because I watched Sans' boss fight. SORRY NOT SORRY._

 _NEXT TIME: WHAT DO I DO?_

 _DFTBA GUYS! ;D_


	40. What Do I Do?

Chapter Thirty-Nine

* * *

 _I have nothing to do so here's the next chapter. On a side note, I finally know how to write Ruri's name in Japanese._ 瑠璃 _(Ruri; lapis lazuli)_ 幸久 _(Yukihisa)_ _And in katakana:_ ルリ _(Ru ri) So that's a thing now._

* * *

"We've got some talking to do."

Ruri jumped and dropped her phone.

KID stooped down and picked it up for her.

"Do you mind telling me why you suddenly collapsed in there?" he asked, keeping the phone out of Ruri's reach when she moved to take it.

She looked away and rubbed at her arm. "I..."

"And tell me the truth."

Ruri looked back at the thief with sad eyes. "I..."

He waited silently, staring at the girl.

"I was just feeling a little unwell. That's all," she finally said, not meeting his gaze. "I'm fine. Really."

KID didn't say anything, instead handing back the phone and walking away.

"Come to a heist when you're ready to tell me what really happened. Until then, don't come to any more."

* * *

Ruri sat on a couch in the Kudou mansion, hugging her knees.

She hadn't moved since she got there.

"You ok?" Conan asked, taking a seat next to her.

Ruri shook her head.

Ai finally decided to take a seat on an adjacent recliner.

"Is this how you two feel? Lying to the people you love most?" Ruri finally croaked out. "I hate doing this. I feel sick to my stomach."

The two teenagers turned kids traded looks.

"What happened?" Conan asked.

"I can't go back to school. He hates me now," Ruri bit back a sob.

"It's something that we have to accept, Ruri. Now that we've gotten tangled up in this mess, it's the only way to protect them," Ai sipped at her drink.

"I wish I hadn't come back!" Ruri suddenly screamed.

"If I had known this would happen, then I wish I hadn't come back," she sobbed.

* * *

"She finally fell asleep?" Ai asked as Conan walked into the lab.

He nodded. "I have no idea what happened, but I think she and KID had a talk that really shook her up."

"KID?"

"Un. I thought KID would leave immediately after the heist, but I saw him talking with Ruri afterwards. After he walked off, Ruri looked really lost."

Ai stopped typing on her computer. "He must've said something to her."

"I know, but I have no idea what," Conan sighed.

* * *

Ruri woke up to the sound of the chirping birds.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Awake?" Ai's voice asked.

Ruri slowly turned to see the little scientist holding two mugs.

"Here," Ai handed her one of the mugs.

The brunette gingerly took it and inhaled the scent of mint.

"How was your sleep?" the little scientist asked.

"It was fine," Ruri murmured.

"Well, since you seemed so distraught about going back to Ekoda high, how about going to Teitan?"

* * *

"You want to go to Teitan?!" Aki screamed through the phone.

"Un," Ruri replied.

"...well, if that's what you want... but what brought this on?"

"I just thought it'd be good to see more rather than just stay at Ekoda..." Ruri smiled faintly.

"But... I thought you liked Ekoda high... and what about your friends?"

Ruri didn't answer for a long while. "I'm sure they'll be fine without me."

* * *

"Eh?! Ruri-chan transferred out?" Aoko repeated.

Hakuba nodded. "I just heard about it from the teacher."

"Kaito! Ruri-chan transferred out!" Aoko rushed over to the magician.

He didn't answer.

"Kaito! Ne, Kaito!" Aoko waved her hand in front of his face when he didn't respond.

"What, Aoko?!" Kaito demanded.

"Ruri-chan transferred out, Bakaito!" Aoko yelled, stomping off. "What's your problem!"

Kaito sat back in his chair and sulked.

 _If only she had told me what was going on!_

* * *

"This is Yukihisa Ruri," the teacher introduced the girl.

Ruri smiled and bowed. "I'm Yukihisa Ruri. I look forward to learning with all of you."

* * *

"I wasn't expecting you to transfer to Teitan, Ruri!" Ran smiled.

"It's nice to see you, Ran-san," Ruri smiled back.

"How come you transferred?" Sonoko asked.

Ruri looked out the window. "No reason in particular."

* * *

 _Shorter chapter than usual, but I felt like I needed to end the angst soon. Anyway, with Ruri transferring to Teitan, that means more interactions with the DC cast so, expect more of Meitantei Conan rather than heists. It also means more murder mysteries for this fic._

 _And I wonder how this "fight" with KID will play out, don't you?_

 _I had fun writing that beginning part with KID being mad with Ruri and walking away. I tend to specialize in angst rather than the happy stuff. Don't ask why, because I have no idea. That saying, this fic really doesn't showcase angst. Partly because I hate angst. ECH._

 _I'm sorry for all you KIDxRuri shippers, but we ain't seeing any more of that for the time being. And it's not because of any negative reason! I just need to get back into the plot and have Ruri interact more with the DC cast. We should have the regularly scheduled nonsensical fluff come back (but this time with DC instead of MK) in the next chapter._

 _Speaking of future chapters, I'm thinking about doing a 50 chapter special where Ruri (and I) will answer any and all questions that you guys have. So, if you've got questions, go ahead and ask. I'm only doing Ruri and I though._

 _Also, I uploaded a picture of mermaid Ruri onto my deviantart if any of you want to go check it out. And I need a colorist. And maybe a shader. SO IF ANY OF YOU HAVE THOSE TALENTS AND WOULD LIKE TO HELP ME, PLEASE PM ME I CAN'T COLOR OR SHADE FOR THE LIFE OF ME._

 _NEXT TIME: TEITAN HIGH_

 _DFTBA YOU LOVELY PEOPLE YOU._


	41. Burning Man (Part 1)

Chapter Forty

* * *

 _HEYOOO I'M BACK! So, where have I been this past week and 1/2? Um. Aside from a bad case of writer's block, I've been... playing Undertale... I got it just 2 weeks ago and was so hyped up for it I made my dad play it with me. Good news, he loves Sans (actually asked me to draw him). Bad news, I can't get past Muffet's fight. So for the past day or so, I've been screaming at the screen and continuously dying when she calls out her pet spider for "dinner". I CAN'T. GET. PAST! So, I decided to take a break and come back to this. SO HOW'S E'RRYBODY DOIN'?_

* * *

Ran glanced over at Ruri where the brunette seemed to be concentrating on her notes.

It had been 2 days since her transfer and both Ran and Sonoko noticed something was on the girl's mind. When they asked about it, Ruri smiled sadly and said, "Nothing's really wrong."

As such, Ran decided to take Ruri to meet her father, who she seemed to be a fan of.

* * *

The bell signaling the end of the school day rang and made Ruri jump a little.

"Make sure to get these notes because they'll be on tomorrow's test!" the teacher yelled before gathering up his stuff and leaving the classroom.

"Ruri-chan," a voice made her turn.

Ran smiled. "Do you want to come over to my place today?"

Ruri glanced over at the board to make sure she wasn't on cleaning duty before nodding. "I'd love to."

"I'm sure Conan-kun will be happy to see you."

* * *

"Otou-san, I'm home!" Ran called as she opened the door to the Mouri Detective Agency.

"Ran-nee-chan!" Conan smiled as he saw the girl.

Ruri stepped out from behind the taller girl and smiled softly.

"Ruri-nee-chan!"

"Hello, Conan-kun," Ruri greeted.

"Ran? Did you bring a friend of yours?" Ran's father lumbered over to inspect the scene.

"Hello again, Mouri-san," Ruri bowed.

"Oh, you were that kid at the theatre, right?"

"Hai, that's right. I was impressed by how you handled it," the girl smiled.

Kogorou instantly straightened up and puffed out his chest. "Well, I am the great Detective Mouri! Gahahahaha!" he laughed.

Ran sighed at her father's antics but was happy to see that Ruri seemed to be cheering up a little.

"Ruri-chan, would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll have to decline... if I stay any longer past next hour, I'll have a hard time getting home," Ruri shook her head.

"By the way, Ran," the older man called. "I got a job from someone earlier today."

Ran hummed in response as she listened.

"I've got to go up to Karuizawa to investigate a burning."

"A burning?" Ran repeated.

He nodded. "Someone set a man named Yamaguchi Hasuta on fire."

"They set him on fire?!" the girl cried.

"He's still alive, but this is the 2nd time it's happened. He's afraid that it'll happen again and that he might lose his life this time."

* * *

"How on earth did you manage to convince your father to let me go?" Ruri asked.

"Well... I just told him that you really look up to him and that you'd like to study how he does things because he's such a great detective," Ran grinned.

Ruri laughed nervously, looking over at Conan who seemed to be investigating a nearby tree.

As a cold wind whipped around the two girls, Ruri snuggled deeper into her jacket. Karuizawa, predictably, had become a winter wonderland in the past month or so.

"This is the place?" Kogorou looked up at the huge cottage nestled in the trees.

"It IS Karuizawa," Ran reminded her father.

"Mouri-tantei?" a voice asked.

A young woman had appeared at the doorway with a shocked expression.

"The one and only, my lady!" the detective quickly stepped forward and bowed, trying to be as cool as possible.

Ruri suppressed a laugh.

"We've been waiting for you," the young woman smiled. "Please, come inside."

The woman guided the foursome down a long hallway before stopping at a door. She knocked once and stepped inside.

"I've brought them," the young woman stepped to the side to let the group inside the room.

"Good," a voice rasped.

A man laying on a bed wrapped in bandages was the only thing in the room aside from a table and a lamp.

"You must be Yamaguchi Hasuta-san," Kogorou greeted.

"Who are the children?" the man asked, his voice sounding like knives being sharpened.

"My daughter, her friend, and a brat we're looking after," the detective gestured to each in turn.

Hasuta smiled a little before groaning in pain.

"Miyako!" he called.

The young woman who somehow disappeared suddenly rushed to his side.

"Yes?"

"Get me my painkillers..." Hasuta ground out, clenching his teeth in pain.

As Miyako ran off to get the medicine, Kogorou began questioning the injured man.

"Did you see anyone as this happened?"

"No."

"Do you have any enemies?"

"Lots. But none would choose such a dumb and inefficient way to kill me, I'm sure of that."

Ruri watched this go on for quite a while before she noticed Ran fidgeting.

"Is there something wrong, Ran-san?" she asked.

Ran turned a little red. "Ah, um... I have to use the bathroom," she whispered.

"Would you like me to ask?" Ruri offered.

Ran nodded.

"Excuse me," Ruri interrupted the interrogation. "Yamaguchi-san, is there a restroom nearby?"

"3 doors down the hall, on your left," he replied.

"Thank you," Ran rushed down the hall to the room of relief.

Ruri smiled.

"Come with me," Conan suddenly hissed and he grabbed the girl's hand.

"Oji-san, we're going for a walk!" the little boy called, the older man waving him off.

"Is there something wrong, Shinichi-san?" Ruri asked once they were far enough away.

Conan thrust a rag into her face. "How does this smell?" he asked.

Ruri didn't need to get any closer to tell him that it stunk.

"It stinks!" she cried, scrunching up her nose.

"That's because it's linseed oil."

"Linseed oil?" Ruri repeated.

"Also known as flaxseed. It's highly reactive with oxygen and is one of the leading causes for spontaneous combustion," Conan explained.

"You don't think Yamaguchi-san was doused with this, do you?"

"It's possible. I can't tell if this is clothing or not, but something tells me this is our murder weapon."

* * *

 _My writer's block was cured thanks to Secrets of the Dead. Thank you King Tut for inspiring this s***fest of a story. Anywho, I'M BACK. Also, this case is one of my making! So... yeah. *cough*i'mUndertaletrashnow*cough* Mmm, must've got a frog in my throat. I have been listening to DM Dokuro's Bonetrousle remix and it's the best thing ever. Don't really know HOW I got into the fandom- wait. Yes I do. I watched Cry play it. MMMM that man's voice. ...*ahem* sorry. This endnote got kinda weird so I'm gonna end it nooow..._

 _NEXT TIME: BURNING MAN (PART 2)_

 _DFTBA LOVELIES! :)_

 ** _OH IT'S THE WRONG NUMBER_**

 ** _THE WRONG NUMBER SONG_**

 ** _WE'RE VERY VERY SORRY THAT WE GOT IT WRONG_**

 ** _OH IT'S THE WRONG NUMBER_**

 ** _THE WRONG NUMBER SONG_**

 ** _WE'RE VERY VERY SORRY THAT WE GOT IT WRONG_**

 ** _OH IT'S TH-_** _*is hit*_


	42. Burning Man (Part 2)

Chapter Forty-One

* * *

 _Taking a break from playing Undertale to update Something Taken, Something Given. (still can't get past MUFFET) ALSO, I'll try not to spoil anything for you, jaminjess8! Sorry! DX Also, bringing back the quote thing just for this chapter because I feel like some people need a little push and confidence._

* * *

 **"Despite everything, it's still you."**

 **-Undertale**

* * *

"Do you really think this the murder weapon?" Ruri asked.

Conan nodded. "It would make sense. Kogorou was saying last night that Yamaguchi-san just went up in flames all of a sudden."

"So it's definitely spontaneous combustion," the girl concluded.

"We just have to find a suspect and a how," Conan added.

"Well... there's Miyako-san... I haven't met anyone else..." Ruri thought aloud.

"What are you two kids doing in here?" a voice asked, interrupting their conversation.

The brunette turned around and came face-to-face with a young man holding a large canvass.

"Um, we're with, um, Mouri Kogorou-san... the private detective..?" Ruri stuttered.

"Oh," the man grunted. "Well, whatever. I was just in here to get some more paints."

He pushed passed her and started down the hall.

"Hey, onii-san! I think you dropped a brush!" Conan suddenly called, making the man stop.

The man turned and came back, inspecting the brush the little boy held out.

"Yeah, that's mine," the man snatched the brush away.

"Um, do you paint?" Ruri asked.

He glared at her. "No. I just like collecting paint brushes- of course I paint!"

"S-Sorry..." the girl mumbled.

"What's your name?" Conan asked.

The man hesitated before replying, "Yamaguchi Kiri."

"Are you related to Hasuta-san?" Ruri asked, trying to gather the remains of her courage.

"...He's my brother."

* * *

Ruri and Conan had somehow managed to get the antisocial Yamaguchi Kiri to let them see his works.

"These are amazing!" Ruri breathed, looking at a painting of a swan in winter.

Kiri grunted and set down his canvass on the easel. "My brother doesn't think so."

"Why not?" Ruri turned to look at the man.

He didn't answer, instead picking up a pencil and sketching on the canvass.

As Ruri inspected another painting that looked a little avant-garde, she noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye in the window.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing to a large flapping sheet.

"It's an experiment," Kiri replied after glancing over to see what she was talking about.

"For what?" Conan thankfully voiced.

"A new type of drying," the painter grunted, clearly annoyed.

When he went back to painting, Ruri pulled Conan over to the side.

"I don't think he likes me, so I'm going to just leave..." she told the little detective.

Conan looked over at the painter and nodded. "Call me if you find anything out of the ordinary."

* * *

Ruri wandered the woods for a little while, always making sure she could see the cottage.

As she stopped on a hill, the brunette pulled out her phone to take a picture. The scenery was too pretty to pass up.

The shutter snapped and the picture of the winter wonderland flashed on the screen before returning to camera mode.

Ruri sighed as she debated whether or not to send to Aoko. She hadn't talked to her in a while.

Eventually, she sent the picture along with a message of:

"Here in Karuizawa with some friends

Pretty isn't it? The snow is so clean and white"

As she looked around the area, she found herself thinking about a certain phantom thief.

 _What am I supposed to do? He probably suspects me of knowing something now that I transferred but... I couldn't face him after that kind of thing..._

The girl fiddled with the blue ribbon in her hair until a familiar sound of a new text snapped her out of her thoughts.

"So lucky!

We're glad you're having fun with your friends from Beika, but come and see us sometime, ok?"

Aoko had replied.

Before Ruri could text her back, there was another new message from Conan.

"Hurry back, I've already deduced who it was and helped out"

"Ok" She replied before heading down the hill.

 _How long was I up here?_ Ruri wondered, glancing at the time.

 _3 1/2 hours? Wow. I must've really been lost in thought..._

* * *

The ride back had been quite uneventful, except for the fact that Kogorou was boasting about how he solved the attempted murder.

It turned out to be Kiri. Hasuta had been so harsh on his brother's artwork and that it had made Kiri angry, thus trying to kill him.

Kiri had doused all of Hasuta's clothes in linseed oil (which he used to make some of his paints) so whenever he went outside, bundled up long enough, he would have started smoking and eventually burst into flames.

Apparently, Hasuta had been harsh because Kiri was actually very good and he didn't want his brother to get a swelled head.

"Are you ok, Ruri-chan?" Ran finally asked. "You were gone for a long time..."

"I'm fine, Ran-san," Ruri tried to assure the other girl.

* * *

 _So, I know this is shorter than usual, but I've got a big serial murder case planned and I really want to get started on it soon. It's a rather long arc, that involves some more Shinichi and MAYBE a KID appearance._

 _Anywho, I participated in my local All Souls day parade for the first time and I have to say... I'm not doing that again. Yeah, it was kind of fun... but the work effort that's needed is just- ugh._

 _NEXT TIME: RURI GETS SICK...AGAIN_

 _DFTBA GUYS!_


	43. Ruri Gets Sick Again

Chapter Forty-Two

* * *

 _I FINALLY BEAT MUFFET I'M SCREAMING RIGHT NOW_

* * *

Ruri sneezed and grabbed a tissue from the nearby box.

"I shouldn't have stayed out in the snow for that long..." she mumbled.

She had changed back into Natsuki ever since she got back home, and had ended up rushing to the Kudou mansion to ask why. The short answer? Being sick had somehow caused the poison in her body to go haywire after a period of inactivity. Ruri hadn't had the chance to ask about the long answer before she collapsed from fever.

So here Natsuki was, sitting on the examination table, sniffling as Haibara poked and prodded his body.

"Your blood sample seems fine, other than the poison in it," she told him.

"An' whud about my cold?" Natsuki tried to ask, his nose quite stuffed up.

"You really shouldn't have stayed out in the cold for **3 1/2** hours is you wanted my opinion on that," the little scientist huffed. "You should get better in about 3 or 4 days, if you're lucky and the poison doesn't somehow make it worse."

"Whud about school?" he asked.

"Don't go. Do I really need to tell you about how many people get sick because someone around them already was?" Ai questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Natsuki sniffled again.

"Since you can't go back home in that state, go sleep in one of the guest rooms or something. I'll call Kudou to let him know," she pulled out a little cell phone and quickly punched in Conan's number.

* * *

Ruri sighed as she felt her bones start to heat up. She was changing back into Natsuki for the 3rd time that night.

The transformations hadn't allowed for any respite as the pain was so intense every time.

She started to groan a little as the pain intensified. Soon, it was a full-on scream, bringing Haibara into the room.

Eventually, the scientist decided to give the girl some morphine in order to let Ruri sleep.

* * *

Ruri awoke, in her female body, groggy and sore.

"What...?" her voice was hoarse and her throat felt like it was on fire.

Haibara entered the room with a cup filled with cold milk.

"Don't talk. Drink," she commanded.

Ruri took the cup and sipped at the cool liquid. It was soothing for her throat, and she could almost feel it healing.

"Thanks Haibara-san," the brunette croaked.

"I told you not to talk," the scientist sighed, but she let a small smile slip. "I'll be back to check up on you later."

Ruri nodded.

* * *

It had been a few days since Ruri had gotten sick, and she was finally starting to feel better. The nightly transformations had finally stopped the night before, so she could finally get a restful night's sleep.

It had been reassuring for Ai because the little scientist hadn't wanted to continue giving Ruri morphine, since it was possible to get addicted to it.

Unfortunately, the teenager was still sniffling and coughing.

"How are you feeling?" Ai asked.

"Better," Ruri sniffled, trying to smile.

"That's good. I'm going to give you some regular cold medicine for now, ok?" the little girl handed Ruri a small bottle filled with pills.

"Thanks," the brunette's smile grew.

* * *

Finally, Ruri had gotten over her cold.

She was feeling even better than before.

"I'm finally back," she stretched, watching the sunlight stream in through the window.

* * *

 _Short chapter, I know, but I really gotta get started on that serial murder case! DX_

 _NEXT TIME: THE ANGEL SMILE SLAYER_

 _DFTBA GUYS!_


	44. The Angel Smile Slayer (Part 1)

Chapter Forty-Three

* * *

 _"WHO NEEDS ARMS WHEN YOU'VE GOT LEGS LIKE THESE?!" *coughs violently* So guess where I am in Undertale._

* * *

"The Angel Smile Slayer strikes again," Ruri read aloud.

She had picked up the newspaper out of curiosity only to find a serial killer on the front page.

"The only thing connecting the victims were that they were female and had reportedly beautiful smiles..."

"What are you reading, Ruri?" Sonoko asked, walking over.

"The newspaper," the girl replied.

"Why?"

"Well... it became a habit after always watching for KID heists..." Ruri scratched at her cheek meekly.

"Oh? That's right, you seem really close with him... I'm so jealous!" Sonoko sobbed dramatically.

Ruri laughed a little as she watched the other girl's antics.

"Oh my gosh, not you too, Ruri-chan," Ran's voice made the two girls turn.

"Me too?" Ruri repeated.

"Conan has been reading that newspaper for forever, and I can't get him to stop! He always finds it, somehow..." Ran sighed, placing her bag on her desk.

"I don't know how healthy that would be for a little brat..." Sonoko commented.

"Perhaps he just likes puzzles," Ruri tried to reason.

"But reading about a serial killer is just- ugh!" Ran put her face in her hands.

"W-Would you like me to talk to him about it?" Ruri asked.

Ran looked over at the girl with sparkling eyes. "Really? For some reason, he won't listen to me, no matter what!"

"Maybe he just needs to hear it from someone he doesn't live with?"

* * *

"So Ran-san is getting worried about you reading about the Angel Smile Slayer cases..."

"I know, I know, I won't read it in front of her," Conan sighed.

"Thanks," Ruri smiled.

"Ruri-chan?" Ran called. "Could you come here? I need your help!"

"Coming, Ran-san!" Ruri replied.

"And bring Conan-kun too!"

Ruri snickered a little as Conan looked less than thrilled.

She took his little hand in hers as they walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

"What did you need help with, Ran-san?" Ruri asked.

"I need some help with the curry, so could you keep an eye on it while I run to the store? I forgot to buy a few things," the other brunette told her. "Conan-kun, I need you to peal some potatoes, ok?"

Conan looked a little nervous. "Ne, Ran-nee-chan? Couldn't Ruri-nee-chan go with you?"

"Why?" Ran asked, confused.

"He's worried about the Angel Smile Slayer, and frankly, so am I," Kogorou walked up to the trio. "Bring Ruri with you."

"If that's it..." Ran pursed her lips and turned to Ruri. "Are you ok with going out?"

Ruri nodded. "I'm fine."

"I'm worried about you since you just got over your cold..." Ran's eyebrows knit together.

* * *

Ruri and Ran walked down the street to nearest supermarket, passing by multiple shops, including a little music box shop.

Ruri paused momentarily as she spotted a little box with a white dove being displayed in the window.

"Ruri-chan?" Ran walked over.

She saw what the other girl was looking at and smiled softly. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

Ruri nodded without saying anything.

"Do you want to go inside for a little bit?" Ran asked.

"I'll come back later..." Ruri finally smiled and she turned to leave.

"You sure?"

Ruri nodded. "There's always next time."

* * *

As Ruri walked out of the supermarket carrying a plastic bag, she felt her skin crawl.

She turned towards an alleyway where she saw a figure watching from afar.

"You ready to go?" Ran's voice made Ruri jump.

"Yeah..." Ruri looked back at the alley but the figure was gone.

"...?"

* * *

"We're back!" Ran called, as she opened the door. "How's the curry looking?"

"Still good," Kogorou told the girl, stirring the pot.

"Good. I just needed to pick up some carrots," Ran pulled out the orange vegetables from the bag and quickly rinsed them.

"Could you get started on this one?" Ran handed Ruri a carrot.

"Sure," Ruri took a small knife and began to peel the vegetable.

When Ruri finished with the peeling, she handed the carrots to Ran to cut.

Very quickly, the curry was finished and dinner was served.

"It was awfully nice of you to invite me for a sleepover, Ran-san," Ruri told the other girl.

"You looked like you needed a girl's night," Ran replied, smiling.

"Ruri-nee-chan is staying over?" Conan asked.

"That's right," Ran turned to her charge. "So behave yourself, ok?"

* * *

"Do you want me to do your hair?" Ran asked, pulling out a curler.

"I'm ok," Ruri shook her head.

"Y'know, you've been really depressed ever since we went to that museum with the Ryoma artifacts... did something happen?"

The shorter girl turned away, unsure of what to say.

"Ruri-chan?"

"It's... I ran into a... a friend at the museum... and... he got angry at me b-because... I... had been keeping secrets..." Ruri managed to choke out, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Secrets..? He got mad at you for having secrets?" Ran looked shocked. "Of course you would have secrets! It's not like everyone tells everything about themselves!"

Ruri laughed without humor.

"But... I'm being a little bit of a hypocrite myself..." Ran hung her head.

"...eh...?"

"Shinichi... I know something is wrong with him but... he won't tell me and he disappears so suddenly whenever he comes back," the taller girl scrubbed at her eyes a little. "Stupid, right?"

"...I don't think so... it's natural to want to know everything about the one you like," Ruri smiled softly.

"It's not like that!" Ran cried, pouting. She then turned away, mumbling, "...well...maybe..."

"I'm sure he cares about you too, Ran-san. You're a sweet girl who puts her all into everything," Ruri put a hand on Ran's shoulder.

"Thanks, Ruri-chan. You too," Ran hugged her friend.

* * *

Ruri was the first one to wake up that morning. It was a Sunday so there wasn't any school. She got up and dressed quickly so she could make breakfast.

As she started making a good 'ol American breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and maple syrup, she noticed a small familiar figure watching her.

"I guess you overheard last night?" she asked Conan.

He nodded silently as Ruri placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of him.

"I won't tell anyone," she reassured.

"I know," he whispered, so soft that Ruri would've missed it had she not been so close.

"I should run down to the market to replace their food," she said to herself, glancing at the time. Almost 7.

"By the way, we should probably tell Hattori about you and Natsuki... he keeps messaging me about it," Conan sighed, taking a bite of the pancakes.

"That's true... we can trust him. Should we arrange a time?" Ruri smiled.

"Probably next week," the not-child started to eat the food a little more quickly.

"Well, ok, I'll run down to the market and grab the Mouri's restock of food and you can set up a time with Hattori, ok?"

Conan waved her goodbye as she headed for the door.

"I'm glad you liked the pancakes," Ruri called as she shut the door.

* * *

 _MMMMMMMMMMMM That's another chapter done! Ohmigosh, this was a little bit of a trial because I kept having to rewrite that scene with Ran and Ruri having their girl-talk. The first time, it seemed a little too out of the blue, while every other time didn't seem right, so eventually, I just wrote it and told myself, "I am not going to re-write this, you are sticking with this one, got it?" And here we are. Hattori is gonna be back, just you wait. We are also going to have another heart-to-heart with Ruri and Heiji, because AH, I love that hot-headed Osakan. Also, this arc will take a while to build up and might end up being my longest arc yet so I'm going to call all the subsequent chapters (in the arc) The Angel Smile Slayer (Part _). This will help me keep track with where I'm at in this story. Also, I got asked on how finished I think I am with this. My answer? Probably around 40%. Yeah, there might end up being ~100 chapters... ehehehe... oops. (I never intended this to go as long as it has, but hey, it has so I'm rolling with it)_

 _NEXT TIME: THE ANGEL SMILE SLAYER (PART 2)_

 _DFTBA, ALL YOU LOVELIES!_


	45. The Angel Smile Slayer (Part 2)

Chapter Forty-Four

* * *

 _I am finally right before Asgore's fight (1st playthrough) and I am not excited for Flowey. Not. At. All. Anywho, I GOT BORDERLANDS 2 AND *screaming into the void* Ohmigosh, ever since my cousin and I played through the 1st one within a week, I have been wanting the 2nd one. And you wanna know why I didn't get it before now? I DIDN'T KNOW STEAM EXISTED. So. I'm actually having a little trouble because I'm the sort of person who waits somewhere and snipes at enemies while everyone else does the Leeroy Jenkins (kudos to anyone who knows what that is) SO GUESS WHO I WENT WITH. THAT'S RIGHT. ZER0. hesawesomeiknownobodylikehimbuthesperfectforme_

 _Also, guess who's an absolute lazybones? THIS GAL._

* * *

Ruri walked through the neighborhood and towards the supermarket.

Every so often, she would get a tingle down her spine, causing her to turn. Just once, did she catch sight of a shadowy figure retreating behind a wall.

She had wrapped herself with her arms, picking up speed.

 _Oh god what if it's that serial killer?_ her panicked mind unhelpfully supplied, making her go even faster.

She noticed out of the corner of her eye, that her supposed stalker had noticed she was getting away, and ran after her.

"Wait!" a familiar voice called out, making her pause.

She didn't turn, instead opting for choking out, "Kaito-san? What are you doing here?"

"You suddenly transferred a month ago and-" he cut himself off. "I-We were worried about you."

"You can see that I'm fine, right? I just transferred out because I needed to get away..." Ruri refused to turn and look at the magician.

"How come you aren't looking at me?" Kaito asked, feeling panicked.

* * *

"You need to find her, Kuroba-kun," Akako slammed her hands onto his desk.

"Hah? What are you talking about?" he asked, annoyed that he had been interrupted in the middle of booby-trapping Hakuba's desk.

Akako quickly looked around, seeing that classroom wasn't the most secure place to hold the conversation.

"Follow me," the red witch turned on her heel.

"What if I-"

"It wasn't a choice, Kuroba-kun," Akako ground out, cutting off Kaito.

The prankster huffed as she disappeared around the corner.

He obediently followed her up to the roof, pouting all the way.

"What do you want?" he asked, as he closed the roof entrance.

"Yukihisa Ruri will die on the eve of the full moon if you do not find her," Akako told him.

Kaito could feel his blood run cold. "...what? This isn't a funny joke-"

"It's not a joke, Kuroba-kun," she interrupted him again. "She is being stalked by the one who steals smiles. He plans to put his plan into action on the eve of the full moon. I repeat, if you do not find her, Yukihisa Ruri will **die**."

"If she does not face you when you confront her, she will be doomed and not even you will be able to stop it."

* * *

"I'm just running some errands that I really need to get done, Kaito-san, that's all," Ruri told him, still not looking at him.

"Please, Ruri, look at me," he practically begged, dropping the honorifics.

Normally, he wouldn't have cared all that much, but since Akako's fortunes had a tendency for coming true... it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Kuroba-san, I really need to go," Ruri switched to his last name, hoping that would be enough for him to let her go.

He didn't.

"Ruri, please, just, look at me," the magician pulled on her arm and tried to turn her towards him.

She still wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"Please, just leave me alone, Kuroba-san," she whispered before turning away and running off.

" **RURI!"**

* * *

 _I know this is a short chapter, but it needed to be short. Otherwise, it wouldn't have gone as well. Also, I love cliffhangers, has anyone noticed? I KNOW I'M WRITING IT BUT I LOVE A CRYPTIC BUT URGENT AKAKO._

 _NEXT TIME: THE ANGEL SMILE SLAYER (PART 3)_

 _DFTBA!_


	46. Christmas Chapter (AU)

_Hey everybody! So here's a little Christmas chapter. It's not exactly fic-canon so I guess treat it as a sort of alternate universe. Where KID has revealed who he is to Ruri and she's revealed to him about her stuff and they both have this mutual kind of... thing...(?) going on._

* * *

Ruri looked up at the enormous Christmas tree set up in the crossing that was decorated with bright lights and extravagant ornaments that probably cost more than the average salaryman made in a year. Somehow, it seemed as if KID had thought it would be a good idea to...how to say it? Steal Christmas. Not actually steal the holiday, per-se, but as he put it, "make it just a little more entertaining." Steal Christmas' thunder, if you will.

So here she was, completely entranced by his little magic show. Somehow, he had managed to cover the crossing in lights, and even crisscrossing them from rooftop to rooftop over the streets. It looked almost like the magician had strung up stars. Ruri clenched her fist around the bag she was holding and shivered. It certainly was cold tonight.

"How is everyone this fine Christmas Eve?" KID's voice rang out from his spot on a rooftop.

The crowd cheered.

"Well then, since it seems my lovely fans are raring to go, we shall start the countdown to Christmas!"

A large electronic sign was turned on, displaying the clock as 0:20.

"19!" KID's yelled as the clock counted down.

"18!" the crowd yelled along with him at the next second.

"17!"

"16!"

"15!"

"14!"

"13!"

"12!"

"11!"

"10!"

"9!"

KID had disappeared by this time but no one in the crowd seemed to notice.

"8!"

Ruri felt warm hands on her shoulders.

"7!"

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"6!"

"No, not really. I just had something I wanted to give to you in person, is all," the thief turned her around to face him.

"5!"

"And what would that be?" the brunette asked, smiling softly.

"4!"

"Well, here's to hoping that it'll snow tomorrow," KID grinned.

"3!"

Ruri tilted her head.

"2!"

"What?" she asked.

"1!"

KID pulled out a small wrapped box and handed it to Ruri.

" _Merry Christmas_ ," he said, smiling and a bit red.

"0!"

The crowd went wild, cheering and whooping, shouting out "Merry Christmas!"

"I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with a gift," Ruri grinned and lifted up the bag she was carrying.

* * *

Ruri walked into the classroom with a big bag filled with gifts for Aoko and Hakuba. Even Akako.

She gently touched the snowflake earrings KID had given her.

The brunette spied Kaito basking in the warmness of his new earmuffs.

"Ruri!" Aoko and Hakuba chorused.

"Hey guys," Ruri greeted. "I've got some presents for you."

* * *

 _Still not fic-canon. But I had fun writing it. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, whatever you celebrate if it's not one of those two. I love all of you._

 _DFTBA guys._


	47. The Angel Smile Slayer (Part 3)

Chapter Forty-Five

* * *

 _heyheyheyheyHEY! I'M BACK BABY! (but not well I got a REALLY bad case of food poisoning) HOW'S LIFE FOR EVERYBODY? TELL ME WHAT YOU DID OVER THE WINTER. Anywho, going to get back into the swing of updatin' things so HERE WE GO!_

 _HUSTLE, HUSTLE! MUSCLE, MUSCLE!_

* * *

Ruri stopped running to catch her breath, checking to see if Kaito was following her.

"Why is he here?" she mumbled to herself.

She felt bad for leaving him like that, but she didn't know what else to do.

Footsteps behind her made Ruri jump and stiffen.

"Are you alright, miss?" a voice asked, seemingly worried.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Ruri smiled at the stranger.

"Is that so? Well, I'm glad... after all..."

"...?"

"It wouldn't do to have you hurt..."

Ruri felt a sharp pain as the stranger thrust their arm forward into Ruri's stomach.

Her mouth was covered with a cloth that smelled faintly medicinal.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Ruri awoke to the sound of dripping water. She was gagged and tied to a bed. The mattress smelled and felt damp.

"Awake, are we?" a voice asked.

Ruri looked to where the voice was.

"It's nice to meet you, Yukihisa Ruri-chan. You may know me as The Angel Smile Slayer."

A figure dressed in black and wearing a Thalia mask. Using her tongue, Ruri managed to remove the gag from her mouth.

"Where am I?" she managed to ask.

"Somewhere convenient for me," the person chuckled.

Ruri didn't respond to that.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?"

The brunette looked up at the figure who stood in front of her.

"Could you smile a little?"

Trying her best, Ruri cracked a forced smile.

The person raised their hand to her cheek and stroked affectionately.

"Not good enough..." they mumbled.

* * *

Kaito stood still in the middle of the road, replaying his conversation with Ruri.

 _What went wrong? Why couldn't she look at me? 'Kuroba Kaito' isn't the one she has a problem with so why..._

"Does she know?" he voiced his worst fear. "Is that why she won't look at me?"

"Um... excuse me?" a voice made Kaito turn.

A girl who looked shockingly like Aoko stood in front of him wearing a worried expression. She looked like she had just run a marathon.

"Can I help you?" Kaito asked, putting on one of his award-winning smiles.

"Ah...no... it's just- you look..." the girl trailed off.

"I look?" the magician offered.

"Um, did you see a girl, shorter than me, with brown hair go through here?"

 _Does she mean Ruri?_

"I did, but why are you looking for her?"

"She's a friend and I wanted to make sure she was safe since there's all that stuff about a serial killer."

 _The serial killer!_

Kaito recalled what Akako had told him.

 _"She is being stalked by the one who steals smiles. He plans to put his plan into action on the eve of the full moon."_

"Thank you for your help!" the girl said, running off.

"The eve of the full moon..."

* * *

Ruri let out a soft "oof" as she made contact with the hard ground.

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" the person yelled, their voice becoming warbled.

They paced back and forth mumbling and holding their head.

"Not good enough not good enough not good enough- YOU! YOU'RE NOT HER!"

The person pointed angrily at Ruri and stalked over, making the girl attempt to back up.

They grabbed her arm and pulled her up, a sickening 'pop' coming from Ruri's arm.

Ruri bit her lip to stop from crying out, but wasn't able to stop the pained gasp in time.

A loud 'slap' resounded through the building.

"YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT IT BAD- I'm so so sorry," the person switched from being uncontrolled to being affectionate and stroking the cheek where they had hit Ruri.

"You poor thing," they cooed, stroking the red mark that began to appear.

Ruri bit the inside of her mouth to keep from crying. The pain was overwhelming.

She glanced down at her shoulder but was stopped by a gloved hand.

"Don't worry about it. Soon you won't feel any pain."

That wasn't a good sign.

"Someone as pure as you shouldn't be in this realm with all the filth. But don't worry, I'm here to release you from your mortal body."

The person pulled out a knife and placed it against Ruri's neck.

"It'll be quick, I promise. But you have to keep smiling so you can ascend to the Heavens."

They pulled the knife away from her neck as Ruri squeezed her eyes shut.

* * *

 _Short chapter, which REALLY does NOT make up for my unexcused absence. But in exchange, the 4th part will be coming out soon. We're coming to the end of the serial killer arc (but not the DC one). Hopefully, KID and Ruri will be able to make up, yeah? But it seems Kaito has already figured something is off._

 _NEXT TIME: THE ANGEL SMILE SLAYER (PART 4)_

 _DFTBA_


	48. The Angel Smile Slayer (Part 4)

Chapter Forty-Six

* * *

 _OH MY GOD YES ZEROXYAMI IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AN OSOMATSU-SAN REFERENCE I LOVE YOU FOR GETTING IT._

 _I am unburnable trash._

 _(As I type this, my dad is watching Alien and it's really distracting lots of yelling and screaming and gross noises)_

* * *

"I'll free you from your mortal body," the person whispered, pulling the knife back.

Ruri braced herself for the stab.

* * *

Kaito watched as the knife plunged into Ruri. Despair overriding everything in his brain.

Firing his card gun at the person, Kaito raced forward to catch Ruri.

* * *

Ruri supposed there wasn't a WHOLE lot of pain. It certainly was there but not... overwhelming? Yeah.

There was a flash of white in the corner of her eye, but she didn't bother to even turn her head.

 _My brain must be playing tricks on me. There's no way KID would be here, let alone know I was dying._

"Ruri!" a panicked voice yelled.

The girl opened her eyes to see a monocled face. The charm on the monocle dangled on the side of KID's face.

Ruri reached up to grasp at the charm but was caught by KID.

"Ruri, Ruri," he repeated, voice shaking.

She tried to speak but nothing came out.

"Please stay with me," KID mumbled, gripping onto her hand. "Don't die. Don't you dare die on me."

* * *

Nakamori-keibu had answered the phone on a whim. It wasn't like he HAD to, but there was a nagging in his gut that made him do it.

Now he was on his way to an abandoned house because KID told him to do so.

He wasn't anyone's errand boy, dammit!

So why did he go?

KID had seemed stressed. KID never got stressed.

So here he was, riding in a police car, going to an abandoned house because an internationally wanted thief told him to.

* * *

KID watched as Ruri's face got paler and paler. She was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Please hang on Ruri, please," he begged. "They're almost here, just hang on."

"KI…D…" the girl breathed.

"I'm here," the thief assured, squeezing the girl's hand.

"Why… are you…here…?"

"Wha- why wouldn't I be?"

"Be…cause you…didn't…wan-… didn't… want to… see me…"

The thief bit his lip. That's right. He HAD said something like that, hadn't he?

"I just- I thought we were friends, Ruri. I was angry because you didn't want to tell me anything," KID confessed.

"I didn't… want to… burden… you even… more," the girl turned away.

"Why would you burden me even more?"

"You… already have… 'them' on your… back… why give you… even more?"

"Ruri… are you involved with them?"

"They…" Ruri didn't finish.

"Ruri? Ruri?!"

KID felt his heart speed up.

 _No, no, this can't be happening. Ruri can't die._

"KID!"

* * *

Ruri awoke to the sound of a very familiar beeping.

She looked around. The ceiling was white. The walls were white.

"A… hospital?" she croaked out.

Upon hearing her voice, Ruri scrunched up her nose. She sounded like a 90 year old smoker.

The door slid open, a doctor walking in and being followed by two people Ruri hadn't seen in a while.

"…and this is where she's being kept," the doctor said, gesturing to the hospital bed.

"Ruri!" Aki cried, rushing forward and hugging her daughter.

She was closely followed by Tomoharu.

"Are you ok?" she demanded after releasing the girl.

Ruri looked over at the doctor.

"She's currently stable, but we'll need to keep her in the hospital for a few days as a precaution," he explained.

"She has to stay here?" Aki asked, looking more than a little angry.

Tomoharu put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We understand."

"But- Tomo!" Aki protested.

"Please let us know if there is anything we can do," Tomoharu bowed to the doctor.

"Of course," the doctor smiled.

* * *

Ruri lie awake on the slightly uncomfortable hospital bed. Her parents had practically sent her back into surgery with the amount of hugging they had done. Of course, after visiting hours were done, the doctor reluctantly had to usher them out, assuring Aki that Ruri was in safe hands.

Her mind began to go back to that basement she had been held in.

The mask.

The knife.

The blood.

Those worried indigo eyes.

She felt her side twinge as she tensed.

Indigo eyes.

 _His_ eyes.

"I'm surprised to see you still up, ojou-san."

Ruri looked over at the now open window.

"Hello KID," she smiled. "I suppose I owe you thanks for saving my life."

The thief hummed.

"Thank you," Ruri said, sitting up straight.

"You almost died, Ruri."

The girl's gaze dropped.

"I felt your heart stop."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"But that's not why I'm here," the magician stepped inside the room soundlessly.

He crossed the area between them with a few long strides.

"I want to know why you thought you would burden me."

Ruri felt gentle gloved hands take hers. She looked up at the phantom thief.

"I-"

"And please tell me the truth."

The brunette paused, looking up into the magician's worried face. His monocle glinted in the moonlight.

"I can't do that yet," she finally told him.

* * *

Kaito felt his heart drop at those words. He thought that they had finally gotten past that weird little misunderstanding at the Ryoma gallery (even if it was mainly his fault). Even if it was (kind of) resolved as Ruri literally bled out in his arms.

He thought she would tell him. I mean, it couldn't have had anything to do with Snake's organization, right?

"Why not?" he finally asked.

"Because I'm not ready," came Ruri's reply.

"But why?" Kaito was fully aware of how whiny he sounded but... it didn't matter.

"Please don't force me," she begged. "Not right now."

And then Kaito saw her.

He saw how broken she looked.

He watched as her silent tears fell onto the thin hospital blanket, the damp spots growing bigger.

How could he have been so insensitive? She was recovering from a kidnapping and a stabbing.

Ruri wasn't like him.

She was a normal girl.

A normal girl that he had selfishly kept close to him and hurt.

Her willingness to stay by him and help him had made him selfish. He had forgotten who she really was.

She was Yukihisa Ruri. A sensitive, normal, 17 year old girl who liked rabbits and cats.

She wasn't a fatherless phantom thief fighting an elusive criminal organization who had an obsession with immortality.

She wasn't like him and she never would be.

* * *

"I'm sorry," KID mumbled. "I won't bother you again."

Ruri looked up at the thief. "What?"

"I'll never bother you again," he repeated, a little louder this time. "I'll leave you alone and you won't ever have to deal with me again."

"Wai-"

"I think you should stay at Teitan, too."

"KID?"

"I'm so sorry," the phantom thief mumbled, pressing his lips to her cheek and then disappearing out the window, leaving a single white rose and that familiar little doodle on an Ace of hearts.

"KID!"

* * *

 _Hi. HOW YOU LIKE DAT?! FAIRLY LONG CHAPTER AND SOME ANGST. PLUS A CLIFFHANGER._

 _I am SO proud of how that last minute angst came out. Like, SHIET THAT'S SOME GOOD ANGST. Wow. This is probably my favorite chapter yet. Just because of that ending. WOW._

 _Anyway, this is the last chapter of the serial killer arc so we'll be getting back to the DC cast VERY soon. So stay tuned!_

 _NEXT TIME: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY_

 _DFTBA!_


	49. The Road to Recovery

Chapter Forty-Seven

* * *

 _So I've started to have an interest in the furry fandom? And I really want a fursuit? *sweats loudly* I swear it started when I watched a video about Telephone. I swear. IT'S ADORABLE YOU CAN'T BLAME ME._

 _And... I have come to the realization that Osomatsu-san has become a very problematic favorite anime. It's so... CRINGE inducing. And yet I watch every new episode every Monday. AND I'VE BECOME SO DAMN ATTACHED TO THOSE LITTLE F****** NEETS._

 _(I found a recipe for Butterscotch cinnamon pie and I cannot WAIT to try it out! I'm gonna have a... **fat** time lololol)_

 _ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN_

* * *

Ruri watched the little birds hop from branch to branch in her grandmother's beloved garden.

It had been 2 weeks since that visit from KID in the hospital.

2 weeks since the phantom thief's last reported appearance (although according to some, his next heist was going to be BIG in exchange).

"Ruri-sama?" a voice made the girl turn. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, Azuma-san," she replied with a gentle smile.

Azuma was a tall and well-built man very suited to his job as the bodyguard of Ruri's grandmother, Yukihisa Miyabi.

"If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to tell me," the man told her.

"Please, you don't need to use _keigo_ with me, Azuma-san," Ruri made a small frown.

It was always a little uncomfortable to be talked to with the polite language. Not to mention it was harder to grasp what he was saying.

"No, I must. You are the esteemed madam's granddaughter and it would be impolite to even give thought to not using it," Azuma replied.

The brunette sighed and gave up. She had learned a while back that Azuma's stubbornness was on par with an ox.

"But if you would not mind me asking..."

Ruri looked over at the older man.

"Where did Ruri-sama obtain that hair tie?"

The girl reached up to touch the blue ribbon KID had given her.

"It was a gift from a dear friend, who I am now afraid I have lost," she replied, her voice quiet.

"...if you will pardon me for saying so, but I do not believe that a lost friend of yours is a good friend," the bodyguard huffed.

Ruri smiled while fiddling with the ribbon. "Is that so?"

"Ruri?" a voice asked, making the girl look up at the owner.

"Yes, grandmother?"

"How are you feeling?" Miyabi asked, whisking a gray strand back in place.

"Much better, thank you, grandmother," Ruri smiled as she got to her feet.

She was so glad to be out of the _seiza._ Thankfully, she was used to it after years of having a traditional Japanese education forced onto her.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to meet with you sooner, I was in a meeting with all those executives," Miyabi drew Ruri in for a hug.

Despite being an older woman very much in tune with the more traditional ways of the Japanese culture, she wasn't afraid of showing affection to her kin. Which wasn't very traditional, but hey, she was a woman unafraid of many things.

"Would the esteemed madam care for some tea with her granddaughter?" Azuma suddenly cut in.

Miyabi pulled away from the girl and nodded. "Yes, that would be nice. Thank you, Azuma."

* * *

"So why are you here, Ruri?" Miyabi asked, setting down her tea cup without a sound.

Ruri gazed into the green liquid before replying, "I was involved in a kidnapping and they sent me here to relax and recuperate."

"Ruri," Miyabi began.

The girl looked up at her grandmother.

"What is truly the matter?"

Ruri shied away from the worried gaze.

"I am... afraid," she finally admitted.

"Of what?"

"That I have lost a dear friend."

"And why do you think you have lost them?"

"He-They... They promised to never bother me again. And I have not heard anything from them since this."

Miyabi didn't say anything, instead watching the tears stream down her granddaughter's cheeks.

* * *

Kaito clutched at his head, trying to focus on his heist plan.

He wasn't quite sure how long he had been working, but the headache that was beginning to form screeched at him to take a break.

Opting for some painkillers instead, Kaito went back to making his 126th escape plan.

Kaito had often found himself wondering if Ruri would like the magic tricks he had recently come up with and then reminding himself that she wasn't going to come to the heist.

It made his chest ache when he thought of never seeing Ruri's face again.

 _Well, I'm sure I'll see her again. Happy and... away from all this._

* * *

 _It's a difficult decision, but I'm going to end this chapter right here._ _The next one will come out soon, I promise!_

 _NEXT TIME: CHRISTMAS TIME_

 _DFTBA GUYS!_


	50. Christmas Time

Chapter Forty-Eight

* * *

 _Heyo! Here's the actual fic-canon Christmas chapter that is VERY overdue. Also, I make a reference to one of my FAVORITE Magic Kaito 1412 episodes. Yeah, it's the skiing masquerade Christmas episode._

 _And one more thing, I am REALLY sorry that the chapters so far have been riddled with OCs. I PROMISE after the New Year's chapter, Ruri will go back to the city. I HAVE BIG STUFF PLANNED. **BIG** STUFF. **PLOT** STUFF._

 ** _WARNING!_**

 _There is a MASSIVE end note! It contains a spoiler for what's to come! If you don't want to have it spoiled, PLEASE SCROLL PAST IT. IT IS THE **LAST** PARAGRAPH OF THE END NOTE._

* * *

"Ruri, why don't you go out for a while?" Miyabi asked, worried about the girl's complexion.

The brunette looked away from the koi in the pond and up at her grandmother.

"You look terrible. You need to get out more," the older woman chastised.

Ruri nodded absently, looking back at the koi.

"I heard a new shopping center opened up a month back. Seeing as you haven't been here for about a year, why not go check it out? I'll send Azuma with you if you want?"

Miyabi watched her granddaughter shake her head ever so slightly.

"Ruri!"

The girl jumped.

"It's almost Christmas and you're sitting here like an invalid! A young girl like you should be going out on dates!" Miyabi sighed. "Which is why I'm forcibly kicking you out of the house for today with Azuma."

Azuma, who had just walked into the room with a cup of tea, froze.

"Madam?" he asked, setting down the cup in front of the woman.

"You're escorting Ruri today, understand?" Miyabi told him with no room for argument.

Azuma bowed his head. "Yes, madam."

* * *

24 year old Hirakawa Azuma glanced at the petite girl next to him.

She had been forced out of the house by her grandmother and given 150 thousand yen for the day with the command, "Go out and buy something you want instead of moping inside my house!"

He'd be lying if he didn't feel bad for Ruri.

The two walked around the rather large shopping area in silence.

"If I recall correctly, Ruri-sama liked rabbits, yes?" Azuma finally asked, gesturing to a Funtom store.

A display had been set up with the company's most popular item.

The KID rabbit.

As soon as Ruri saw it, tears began to well up.

Azuma, shocked by the action, rushed to pull out a handkerchief and wipe away her tears.

"I-I apologize for my insensitive comment!" he stuttered.

"No, it wasn't because of that," Ruri smiled sadly, wiping away the rest of the tears.

"Ruri-sama...?"

"Why don't we go inside?" she suggested.

"But I thought Ruri-sama didn't want to?"

"No, no, I just... I remembered something a little sad, is all," Ruri explained. "Shall we?"

Azuma followed the girl inside the store.

The store was covered with dolls and other cutesy Funtom products from wall to wall.

"Welcome! May I help you today?" a male worker greeted pleasantly.

"No thank you. We're just looking around for now," Ruri smiled.

As Ruri walked around the store, a female worker walked up to Azuma.

"Are you out shopping with your girlfriend on Christmas?" she asked. "She's quite pretty."

"My girl- No, no, she's not my girlfriend," Azuma hurriedly corrected.

"A lover? She doesn't look like the type to play around..." the girl narrowed her eyes. "Are you playing with her?"

"We're... not in that sort of relationship," he croaked out.

"So you're… a chaperone?"

Azuma nodded.

"She looks like she's from a rich family," the female worker commented.

"And I don't believe that's any of your business," the bodyguard growled.

The girl's eyes widened and she walked away.

Azuma found Ruri looking at some of the stuffed animals. She held a stuffed brown tortoiseshell cat with a pink and purple ribbon around its neck. The brunette seemed to be comparing it with a stuffed white cat wearing a white top hat and monocle she held in her other hand.

"Azuma-san, do you know who this cat is modeled after?" Ruri asked, holding up the white cat.

As Azuma got a better look, it seemed to be smirking. "It looks like that thief everyone is all hyped up about."

Ruri nodded. "KID."

"Are you fascinated by that criminal as well?"

The brunette paused. "Fascination is a good word."

"Then why don't you get it?" Azuma asked, picking up another white cat.

"No, I think I'll get this one," the girl smiled, putting the cats back and picking up a hamster holding a four-leaf clover.

* * *

After making the purchase, Ruri seemed much happier. She held the hamster close and every so often, squished her face into the soft fur.

Soon, lunch had rolled around, and the pair began searching for something to eat.

"Why don't we get some taiyaki?" she suggested, pointing at a food cart.

Azuma nodded and asked what flavor she wanted.

"How about chocolate? I'm in the mood for something sweet."

The two obtained their taiyaki and sat down to eat.

Azuma watched Ruri delicately take bites of her taiyaki, seemingly thinking about something else. About what, he wasn't sure.

"I wonder if they're skiing right about now..." she mumbled, turning the half-eaten taiyaki in her hands.

Having finished his a while ago, Azuma just sat silently next to the petite brunette as she half-heartedly ate her snack.

After a while, Ruri took a bite out of the paper and was brought back to reality.

"Are you ready to move on, Ruri-sama?" Azuma asked.

The girl shook her head. "No, I think I'm done for the day."

"Then shall we head home?"

Ruri nodded.

"I'll call a car to pick us up."

The girl nodded again, barely paying attention.

* * *

 _So I have some MAD respect for anyone who's stuck with this for so long. Like, wow. Totes respect. I have GOT to be hated by some of you. I keep pulling the disappearing act and I have almost no excuse other than I have been sick. With what? Uh... doc says virus. And I got it TWICE. In less than a week. So._

 _On a lighter note, I attended my first Steampunk convention like... 2 weeks ago. It was fun. I cosplayed (I had an outfit that was already really Steampunk-esque and I just went like, "Wow that works let's wear it") for the first time too. That was a fun experience. And it's my birthday on the 19th... yup. I also have plans to see the Deadpool movie this weekend...( that may actually end up getting canceled because I'M SICK AF)_

 _On the story side, I HAVE BIG PLANS. BIIIIIIG PLANS. LIKE MASSIVE PLANS. And since I love all of you, here's a clue. Natsuki's coming back, baby! YOU ALL THOUGHT THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING, HUH? NOPE. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahaha...ha...ah... *coughs lungs out* Anyway, uh, yeah. Natsuki's coming back and we'll be getting into the REALLY nitty gritty of the plot, so... stay tuned?_

 _NEXT TIME: HAPPY NEW YEAR!_

 _DFTBA! 3_


	51. Happy New Year

Chapter Forty-Nine

* * *

 _HAPPY (very late) NEW YEAR GUYS! IMSORRYTHISISSOLATE_

 _This chapter is shorter than usual because I kinda just want to get to the main plot and I'm sure guys are sick and tired of the OCs and want to get back to Kaito, KID, Conan, and everybody else. AND I LIVE TO SERVE._

 _P.S. There are a few terms/things in general that I use in this chapter that some of you may not know so I'm going to explain them in the end note, ok?_

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be alright with just Azuma?" Miyabi asked, watching her granddaughter slip on a shawl over the brand-new kimono Miyabi had gotten (forced) Ruri to wear.

"Yes, grandmother, I'll be fine," Ruri assured. "We're just going to the temple to ring in the new year. We'll be back within a few hours."

"I will do my utmost to assure Ruri-sama's safe return to you, esteemed madam," Azuma bowed.

"Alright, alright, off you go. Just be back in time for the _osechi,_ ok?"

* * *

Ruri walked alongside Azuma and every so often waved at the people joining them on the way to the temple.

"There certainly are a lot of people this year, huh?" she commented, smiling and waving to a little girl who seemed to be awed at the kimono Ruri was wearing.

"Nn. Many people have moved to this temple since the other one has been temporarily closed down," Azuma explained.

"It's been closed down?" Ruri asked.

"Half of the temple collapsed from a rotting support beam."

"They didn't notice beforehand?"

Azuma shook his head. "Apparently. I do not all of the details."

Ruri smiled at a family walking up the hill.

The man and the girl slowly walked up the right side of the stairs to the shrine, smiling and greeting people along the way.

"What a pretty young lady!" an elderly woman grinned. "It's the first time I've seen you around!"

The brunette bowed. "My name is Yukihisa Ruri. I'm staying here temporarily with my grandmother."

The woman laughed. "It's nice to see such a pretty young woman this year! There're only old folks and little brats!"

"Are you here to ring in the New Year as well?" Ruri asked.

"I already did! You kids go on ahead and I'll get out of your way," the elderly woman gave one more smile and headed down the long length of steps.

"Shall we go?" The girl asked Azuma.

He nodded.

* * *

"Would you like to see what your fortune for this year is, young lady?" a man asked, sitting behind a booth.

Ruri walked over and handed him a 5 yen coin.

The man offered her the box and she pulled the o-mikuji out.

"What does it say?" Azuma asked, forgetting himself.

"Half blessing and...' _arasoigoto_ '..." The girl read.

"Wow! You got a weird one!" the man exclaimed.

He then mumbled, "I don't even think we had one like that..."

"Disputes...?" Azuma repeated.

The tall man then noticed that the girl beside him had fallen silent.

"Ruri-sama?"

Ruri jumped and smiled up at Azuma. "Yes?"

"Er...nothing. Shall we get an _ema_?"

* * *

"We're back, grandmother!" Ruri called.

Miyabi smiled and pulled her granddaughter in for a quick hug.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"A little better, thank you," Ruri replied, smiling.

"How about you, Azuma?"

"Fine, madam."

"So? Did you get an o-mikuji?" Miyabi asked.

Ruri nodded.

"What was it?"

"Half blessing."

"Half? Only half?"

The girl nodded again.

"Did you buy an _omamori_?"

A shake.

"Good thing I already bought you one, then," Miyabi grinned, pulling out the little good luck charm.

The woman handed it to the girl and Ruri turned it over to look at it.

"Thank you, grandmother."

"That's quite all right, dear. You're my precious granddaughter, after all."

"Madam!" Azuma called.

"Yes, Azuma?"

"The meal is ready and waiting for you."

"Shall we go, grandmother?" Ruri asked.

* * *

 _ **Osechi** \- a dish that consists of boiled seaweed, fish cakes (kamaboko), mashed sweet potato with chestnuts, simmered burdock root, and sweetened black soybeans._

 _ **Walking on the right side of the stairs** \- when you visit a Shinto shrine, you are supposed to walk on the sides because the middle is reserved for the gods_

 _ **O-mikuji** \- that little fortune thing you see during those New Year's episodes in anime. Y'know, the one where the MC gets "great curse" and falls glum_

 _ **Arasoigoto** \- lit. "disputes"_

 _ **Ema** \- small wooden plaques that Shinto worshippers write their prayers or wishes (like "Please let me get into my school of choice") and hung up on the shrine so that the gods can "receive" them. They usually have depictions of animals or other Shinto imagery and have the word "gan'i" (wish) written on the side_

 ** _Omamori_** _\- lit. "to protect"; Japanese amulets (normally in the shape of these little pouches) and are said to offer various forms of protection_

 _SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! BYE BYE!_

 _NEXT TIME: A PAINFUL RETURN_

 _DFTBA!_


	52. A Painful Return

Chapter Fifty

* * *

 _I'm not doing the 50 chapter thing. I REALLY WANTED TO BUT NO ONE HAD ANY QUESTIONS! *cries* So have a perfectly normal yet plot relevant chapter. *sniffle*_

 _Also Osomatsu-san ends next week and I am SAD._

* * *

Ruri watched her room spin faster and faster. She felt sick.

Her body was burning. It was so hot.

The pain was unbearable.

She choked on a scream.

She knew she was relapsing. She knew she had to call Ai. Before someone found out.

Before she put someone in danger.

But it hurt. It hurt too much.

The world went black.

* * *

Ruri awoke on the floor, her body aching. It was growing dark outside.

She scrambled to her feet and hobbled over to her cell phone.

Flipping through the contacts, she found Ai's and heard the "trr trr" as it connected.

"Hello?" an old man's voice chirped.

"It's... Ruri," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I need Ai..."

* * *

Ai pressed the stethoscope to Ruri's - no, Natsuki's chest.

The little scientist sighed.

"The good news is that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. The bad news is that your transformation was triggered but for an unknown reason."

"What about my parents?" Natsuki croaked out.

"You'll have to tell them that you're staying at a friend's place. Although, you look enough like yourself that you could probably wear a padded bra and have no problem. But I wouldn't push it."

"What do I do?"

Ai paused. "Do you still have that apartment?"

Natsuki shook his head. "I didn't keep it since I changed back. It was a waste of money if I didn't use it."

"Then I'll talk to Kudou and see if it's ok with him for you stay the night."

"Thank you, Ai."

"Just pay me back later," the little girl waved it off, pressing some numbers into her phone.

"Ah, hello, Kudou-kun? Yeah, it's about Ruri. She relapsed."

"...got it."

Ai turned back to Natsuki and gave a rare smile. "He said if you need a place, there're spare rooms in the manor."

* * *

"You really don't know what triggered it?" Natsuki asked.

"It could be stress, but unless I run some more tests, I can't say for certain."

The girl turned boy deflated. "So then what should I do?"

"I came as soon as I could," a familiar voice broke in. "Is she ok?"

Natsuki and Ai turned to face Conan.

"She's fine, Kudou-kun, " Ai snipped.

"I could use a break from the testing, though," Natsuki whispered to the little boy.

Conan snorted at that.

"I can hear, you know."

"How about it, though? I heard that KID's holding another heist tonight in..." Conan checked his watch. "2 and half hours."

"A break? At a KID heist?" Ai question, raising an eyebrow.

Conan shrugged and turned to look back at Natsuki. "How about it?"

The two children watched Natsuki's unmoving body.

"Ruri?" The little boy asked, making the boy jump.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. Why not?"

* * *

KID sighed for what was probably the hundredth time that day.

Tonight's target was the Bejeweled Lady: a necklace covered in all sorts of precious stones and showcased one of the world's largest cut lapis lazulis.

He was depressed. His favorite tiny detective hadn't been coming to ANY of his heists and since that little... thing with...

KID slapped himself to come back to reality.

His heist was starting in 8 minutes, for god's sake! He didn't have time to be reminiscing and feeling sorry for himself.

The thief positioned himself in the vent and above the case that held the necklace.

He froze when he spotted an all too familiar mop of brown hair and tiny detective.

* * *

Natsuki stood quietly next to Conan who was next to Nakamori-keibu. Guards were posted at each of the doors and a few feet away from the case that held the Bejeweled Lady.

He watched the inspector pace back and forth while grumbling.

"You ok?" Conan whisper-asked.

Natsuki nodded. "Just a little nervous. I haven't met KID in this ...body so..."

"Worried he'll recognize you?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. He's smart enough and I look enough like my female self that it wouldn't be hard."

"True. But just be confident."

Another nod.

"1 minute to 11!" Nakamori yelled.

Natsuki began the countdown to 0.

3...2...1...

The lights shut off and a spotlight turned on, angled at the smoke on top of the case.

"Welcome to Kaitou KID's magic show for tonight!" the white clad thief spread his arms wide and released a flock of pigeons, pink smoke, and colored streamers.

"Get him!" Nakamori wasted no time in yelling.

The men closest to the case jumped at the thief, but he had disappeared.

"Natsuki!" Conan yelled.

Natsuki's vision was filled with smoke and then top hat as the thief appeared in front of him.

"Hello, dear newcomer," KID swept into a bow and then straightened himself.

"Hello, Kaitou KID," Natsuki smirked.

KID seemed to be taken aback momentarily but quickly recovered with a smirk of his own.

"What are you waiting for!" Nakamori yelled again, causing the thief to tip his hat and begin running away.

With a skillful dodge and a jump over an officer, he had rounded a corner and was gone.

"Hurry up!" the inspector barreled after the thief, followed by his task force.

"Shall we get started too?" Conan asked, smirking up at Natsuki.

The brunet had already taken off after the task force, causing the child to sigh.

* * *

Natsuki had somehow managed to outrun the task force and dodge all of KID's traps.

"You're pretty good, _bishounen-kun,_ " KID laughed, forging ahead.

" _Bishounen-kun?_ " Natsuki repeated, following after that white fluttering cape.

"Not a bad nickname, right?" the thief turned around to face Natsuki.

"Please don't ever call me that and ARE YOU TAUNTING ME?"

KID grinned while running backwards. "This is the most fun I've had in a while! Forgive me if I want to enjoy it!"

"You don't sound very sorry!" Natsuki yelled after the thief, who had rounded a corner, again, running backwards.

The magician thief gave out a loud, "HA!" which caused Natsuki to run even harder.

The boy could feel his lungs protesting, but he didn't want to lose sight of KID.

After what seemed like ages of barely dodging and not quite dodging KID's traps, they finally got to the rooftop.

"You're GOOD!" the thief grinned, out of breath but ecstatic.

"Thanks," Natsuki coughed.

"You ok?" the thief's expression changed from euphoric to worried.

"Fine, fine. Just need to catch my breath," the boy gasped.

"Oh. Ok."

The thief watched as Natsuki gulped in giant breaths of delicious oxygen.

"I've got a question," KID finally said.

Natsuki looked up at the magician. "Yeah?"

"Are you Ruri?"

The boy froze.

 _He's just going to ask me? Really? Is this a trick? Or a test?_

Natsuki took another gulp and replied, "Who's Ruri?"

"She's a girl that looks suspiciously like you."

KID started walking towards Natsuki and the boy stiffened.

"You look exactly like her... just...shorter hair."

The thief stopped just short of a foot before Natsuki.

"I don't know who you're talking about," the boy repeated.

"Why are you here?" KID growled.

Natsuki's eyes widened.

 _KID?_

"I-"

The magician looked at the boy.

"I'M NOT RURI OR WHATEVER! I'LL PROVE IT!" Natsuki yelled, grabbing his hand.

And brought it to his crotch.

* * *

 _Hi. How are you guys? Like that ending? I do. I love it. I absolutely love it. So what do ya think? Ready for another emotional rollercoaster ride? No? Ok..._

 _ANYWAY I MANAGED TO WRITE THIS IN ONE SITTING AND TOOK MANY BREAKS ONE OF THEM WAS TO WATCH ABOUT HOW RATS SWIM UP YOUR TOILET. DON'T ASK._

 _On a more story-related note, Natsuki's back! And he's staying for a WHILE. A LONG while. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show... er, fanfiction._

 _NEXT TIME: *INTERNAL SCREAMING*_

 _DFTBA!_


	53. Internal Screaming

Chapter Fifty-One

* * *

 _Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been active for a while. I've been busy with school and what-not since I'm not going to be graduating in May. BUT I WILL GRADUATE BEFORE THE YEAR IS OVER. ...I hope. Anyway, on a lighter note, I heard a lot of laughing for that last chapter. You guys liked it a lot, it seems. I'm glad my odd sense of humor is pleasing people. And to get into the swing of spring, I've been listening to Sakura no Jumon by Amatsuki. It's a pleasant song. ONWARDS!_

* * *

"So? How did it go with KID?" Conan asked as he watched Natsuki walk out of the elevator.

The brunet silently placed his face in his hands and gave a long-suffering sigh.

* * *

 _"I'm not Ruri or whatever, and I'll prove it!" the doppelganger yelled, grabbing KID's hand._

 _"Natsuki" pulled the hand towards himself, effectively dragging KID along and coming button-nose to white-clad chest._

 _There was a moment of awkward silence as the thief felt the tell-tale bulge of male genitals._

 _There was another moment of silence as "Natsuki" seemed to realize what he was doing, promptly turned a bright cherry red, and dropped the gloved hand._

 _"I-I-uh-" the boy began to stutter as he turned his head towards the ground, the cherry red seemingly glowing in the low light of the waning moon._

 _"Well, at least I know you're not a girl, in any case," KID smirked, attempting to push his own red blush down._

 _Natsuki didn't look at the thief, instead opting to scream to himself in his head._

 _Had KID been a mind-reader, he might've seen a thousand little Natsukis (and Ruris) running around and screaming in varying pitches. But he wasn't a mind-reader and thus Natsuki's silence meant nothing special._

 _"While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, you did prove to me that you aren't Ruri," KID tried to soothe._

It doesn't explain why you two look so alike, though, _the magician thief thought to himself._

 _The white-clad phantom thief opened his mouth to speak again just as there was a loud yell of "KID!"_

 _KID took Natsuki's hand in his, making the shorter boy look up in shock._

 _"Why don't you come to another heist? We can perhaps learn more about each other?"_

 _Before Natsuki could give an answer, Nakamori-keibu came barreling out of the stairwell and onto the roof, all the while yelling colorful language._

 _"See you, bishounen-kun," KID laughed as he ran to the edge of the building._

 _"Stop right there, KID!" Nakamori-keibu yelled, making a mad-dash for the thief._

 _KID laughed again as he dove off and flew away into the night._

* * *

As Natsuki recounted the events that happened a few minutes prior, Conan found himself forcing a chuckle down when he thought of the thief's expression.

"What do you think he meant when he said maybe we can learn more about each other?" Natsuki asked the child.

"It could mean a few things. It could mean that he doesn't quite believe that you're not Ruri and wants to observe you a little more, or it could mean that he's genuinely interested in you."

"Interested in me?" the brunet repeated, looking at the child genius with brown eyes growing wide.

"I mean as a possible replacement to Ruri," Conan rolled his eyes.

"But I thought-"

"As far as I can tell, that guy's been half-assing his heists ever since that little tiff of yours in front of the museum. Even more so since you're admittance to the hospital."

Natsuki looked back down at the floor as a sense of guilt washed over him.

"Let's head back before Haibara calls and lays into us," Conan sighed.

* * *

"So am I going to change back?" Natsuki asked, watching Haibara tap away on her laptop. The little girl paused and put her hands in her lap.

"I don't know," she finally sighed.

"What?"

"I don't know if you'll change back," Haibara clarified with a tired voice.

"But-"

"There are too many variables and I don't know enough about what you were injected with."

A pregnant silence took over the Kudou mansion as Natsuki let that information sink in.

"I can't go home then," he finally said.

"At this point, no. It'd be too dangerous. In fact, I'm not really sure why we let you go back to your house when you were so obviously targeted by the B.O."

"So then where-"

"You'll have to find a place to stay for the time being. Like that apartment you had," the little scientist sighed. "Preferably somewhere where you won't really be recognized."

"...Natsuki was already enrolled at Ekoda High for a short time before... so maybe I could go back there?"

* * *

 _Ok, ok, this is a really short chapter. Yell at me. I've been kind of in an unproductive slump for the past month or so. It's my depression getting to me. And I don't really have a support system going (anymore) so it's just been this really bad cycle of "Shit, I need to do something with my life" and "But why don't I just sit in bed and slowly die? Not like anyone'll care" and "But there's so much anime to watch"(Yes, that is actually what prompts me to keep going). Soooo... yeah. And I really don't want to seem needy or whiny it's just... agh._

 _Anyway, I know that KID not really recognizing Natsuki is terrible continuity because Natsuki went to Ekoda High for a short time and met the entire gang. That will be addressed in the next line._

 _I'm thinking about re-writing Something Taken, Something Given. Although, re-writing isn't really the right word. "Facelift" is more accurate. But the thing is: I don't know if I have the energy to do it. I'm well aware that there's so much wrong with STSG that I've been thinking about this for at least a few months. But again, I don't know if I have the energy and drive to do it._

 _Which is why I'm saying this right now. If for some reason I post up a chapter and it's title is "Goodbye and Thank You", it means I'm ending STSG prematurely. I definitely don't want that to happen, of course, but it may._

 _Anyway,_

 _NEXT TIME: HELLO AGAIN, EKODA HIGH_

 _DFTBA_


	54. Hello Again, Ekoda High

Chapter Fifty-Two

* * *

 _I am so sorry. Literally nothing can excuse my absence. I have been gone for over 4 months, and I haven't even updated this story. I'm not dead, so ...yay...? Eh. LET'S GET ON WITH THE SHOW!_

 _Reminder:_

 _Spoken sentences in italics are in English._

* * *

Natsuki clutched at the messenger bag Haibara had given him. It was supposedly filled with an assortment of items like medicine or spare clothes. Of course, he hadn't looked inside when he was forced out of the Kudou mansion at approximately 4 in the morning to ride a train to Ekoda. Which brought him to now.

It was 7:15 AM on a school day, and students were trickling in despite the earliness. He spotted the occasional teacher as well, but only two so far. It seemed they were running late.

Anyway, the school building had become very opposing since the last time Natsuki had seen it. Worries filled his head and he began to shake.

Would he see Kaito today? What about Aoko? Hakuba? Would they ask where he was? What would he tell them? Would Kaito be suspicious? Would he hate Natsuki?

...Does he hate Ruri?

 _...Why do I care so much what he thinks? It shouldn't matter. What was that breathing exercise they taught? Breathe in and out, relax..._

 _"I can do this."_

"Ah!"

With a jump that felt like he was taken through the stratosphere, Natsuki spun around.

"It is you, Natsuki- _kun_!" Aoko smiled and rushed over, clasping onto the boy's hands. "It's been so long since we last saw you!"

"Ao-N-Nakamori- _san,_ " Natsuki attempted to smile. "Long time so see."

"Really! You'll have to tell us all about where you went!" the long haired brunette gave a short laugh and let go of Natsuki's hands. "But you'll have to tell all of us later because I'm on day duty today."

"Ah- un, see you," Natsuki waved at Aoko's retreating form.

 _Oh dear God._

* * *

The first thing that Natsuki was greeted with when he got back to the Kudou mansion was a very familiar tanned face and tiny detective.

"Good! You're here! Now you and da squirt can explain ta me what's goin' on!" Hattori's voice blasted from where he sat on the couch.

Natsuki's mouth flapped open then shut, and he trudged numbly to the adjacent couch.

"Hello Hattori-s _an,_ " the brunet greeted with a tight smile, flopping onto the cushion.

The Osakan detective nodded and folded his arms across his chest.

"So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Natsuki glanced over to where Conan sat and the detective nodded, giving the go-ahead.

"I'm Ruri, simply put."

"Ah figured that out, but how come neither ah ya' told me sooner?" Hattori uncrossed his arms and placed them on the glass coffee table in front of him, leaning forward. "I ain't da Detective o' da West for nothin'!"

Natsuki blinked twiced before smiling and shrugging. "I guess I should've expected you to figure that out."

The smile was quickly replaced with a bitter frown and a sigh. "I'm in a similar position to Kudou- _san._ The same group that poisoned him poisoned me. A different drug, of course, meant to kill, but somehow failed."

The tanned detective leaned back into the couch and nodded. "It makes sense. But how come they want ya?"

Natsuki shrugged again. "I'm not sure. It could be that they saw me with Kudou- _san_ or _Kaitou KID_ and didn't like that."

"Oh yeah, you do hang out with dat thief..."

"Did. I did, but..." Natsuki gripped at his pants. "He didn't want me around anymore."

"So ya ended up stalkin' him in this body?"

"Stalk- I don't-!"

"Ya follow him around despite da fact dat he's avoiding ya, therefore: stalker."

"I don't collect samples of his hair, or his discarded items!" Natsuki yelled, jumping up from the couch red-faced.

"Ya get mah point though, right?" Hattori smirked with a raised eyebrow.

"...I guess..." The brunet quietly sat back down, looking at the floor. "So you're saying to just not associate with him at all?"

"Well, dat would be da logical course o' action, if the reason ya were poisoned was because they saw ya with him, but Kudou is over here living with _nee-chan_ despite da fact dat he keeps sayin' he doesn't want ta get her involved."

"Hey!"

"Mah point is, ya should fly low, but do what ya want. If ya avoid them too much, it may become counterintuitive."

"So act natural?"

"Yup."

* * *

"Ya should definitely come visit us in Osaka. Kazuha has been gettin' all annoying and wondering where ya are. It looks like she really likes ya," Hattori smiled.

"Yeah. I'll come visit if I can. I've missed Kazuha _-san_ as well. It'd be nice to see her."

"You too, Kudou! I'll show ya both all da great places to eat! And da food is better than Tokyo's. I bet mah life on it."

"It was nice to see you again, Hattori-s _an,_ even if it was for these circumstances," Natsuki smiled.

"No problem, Ruri. Ya just be careful, ok? And make sure to keep an eye on Kudou for me, ya know?" Hattori grinned and gave a knowing look to Conan.

"What?" the shrunken detective growled.

"I remember," Natsuki laughed. "You take care of yourself too."

"You're talkin' to da Great Detective o' da West! Ah know how ta take care o' myself. But thanks for da sentiment."

* * *

Natsuki fiddled with the four leaf clover hair clips Kaito had given to Ruri on her birthday. That felt like a lifetime ago.

" _I wish I hadn't met them_ ," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

" _'Cause now I care so much._ "

* * *

 _BOOM. DONE. Anyway, in regards to that last chapter, my worries still stand. I want to give STSG a facelift, but I don't know if I have the energy to do so. It's more likely that I'll go back and make some changes to previous chapters to give 'em a better look._

 _HOW ARE Y'ALL? TELL ME HOW YOUR SUMMERS WENT. I WANT TO KNOW._

 _Also, **serious** kudos (hah) to anyone who's been here since the beginning. I want all of you to know that I am so thankful for the support you guys have given this story. When I look at the fact that this has over 200 reviews, I just want to cry. Thank you. Thank you all. Even to those who just picked up the fic. I love all of you._

 _NEXT TIME: LOOK OUT WORLD, HERE WE- **ohMYGO-**_

 _ **DFTBA!**_


	55. Look Out World, I'm a Train Wreck

Chapter Fifty-Three

* * *

 _Hello again everyone! Ok, so, explanation time. SO. So. I'm done with school. I've graduated. YAY! How was the eclipse for everybody? I was in Casper, Wyoming, in the eclipse's path, so I got to see totality. It was cool._

* * *

Three months had gone by since Natsuki's return to Ekoda High. The only problem, without the excuse of being Ruri, he had no contact with Kaito, Aoko, or even Hakuba. Akako made her appearance every once in a while, but once Natsuki showered her with enough affection, she was satisfied. Put simply, for three months, Natsuki had been bored and lonely. The upside to this, was that he had lots of time to think. Like how Ruri seemed to be universally liked by every plot important character. It was almost like things were being written out. Or how everything seemed to revolve around her, a self-centered thought perhaps, but it was hard not to notice how many times she had gotten tangled up in Kaito's or Conan's issues. It was almost scary.

Natsuki sighed just as the bell rang and school let out for the day. He debated whether or not he should go to KID's heist tonight, but eventually decided against it. He'd just have to settle for hearing about tomorrow. It was lonely, not having friends to talk to. It even brought up painful memories of school. Eating alone at lunch, sitting in the library to read and get some peace, even coming home to a (most of the time) quiet house. Natsuki hated dwelling on those memories. They only brought pain, sadness, and an indescribable tightness in his chest.

As he walked back to the little apartment he shared with his roommate, Tetsu Izumi, he couldn't help but notice how blue the sky seemed. Romantic fantasizing behind, it was starting to make him depressed. He sped up, angrily wiping his nose before it could run, bruising it. The brunet reached the apartment in no time. He fumbled with the single key he had, barely getting inside the small place he temporarily called home before his tears started to leak. Tetsu was home and started to greet his younger roommate before stopping midway to watch the teen's shoulders heave.

Tetsu sighed and went back into the kitchen to start up a new pot of tea. It sort of broke his heart to hear someone that young crying. Natsuki probably didn't even realise he was there. It was at times like these he wished he was less of a grump. The tea kettle went off, whistling at a high pitched shriek to notify him that the water was boiling. Tetsu pulled out the chamomile tea the kid had brought with him, and placed the little packet in an empty mug. He emptied half of the kettle into the mug and the other half into a previously opened cup ramen. The older man walked over to the _genkan_ where Natsuki still sat, hiding his head in his knees and sobbing. Tetsu nudged Natsuki with his foot, making the teen look up in shock and start to stammer.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he managed to get out through the snot and tears.

Tetsu almost grimaced. It was really gross.

"Wipe your face," the man mumbled, handing the brunet the mug and nodding his head towards the table where a tissue box and some messy papers lay.

Natsuki whispered a meek thank you and stood up, shrugging off the backpack and placing it next to the couch. He gently sat down next to where Tetsu had been moments prior to this whole fiasco. He nursed his mug up until Tetsu demanded he take a drink or it would get cold. Natsuki nodded and apologized (as he was prone to do, Tetsu learned). The teen sipped the tea and began to visibly calm down. What the hell was in that stuff? Nothing was said as Natsuki sipped his tea occasionally and wandered off into his own mind.

"Are you getting bullied?" Tetsu finally asked.

He had been meaning to ask the first time he caught the kid crying, which was about a month ago. It was confusing to come home to a sobbing teen and not know the reason why, or be able to do anything about it.

Natsuki looked horrified at the query, shaking his head vigorously.

"No! Nothing like that!" He protested.

If he _was_ getting bullied, the bullies sure scared him good.

Tetsu shrugged. Despite the fact that they were roommates, it was hard to say whether or not there was much interest in each other's lives.

"You're a boy, you shouldn't cry," Tetsu told him, maybe a little harsher than he intended. "Crying should be left for the girls."

Natsuki opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something, then closed it again, apparently rethinking whatever he was going to say. The teen seemed to do that whenever Tetsu commented on his gender. He secretly hoped Natsuki wasn't one of the _okama._ Not that there was anything wrong with that, but he just didn't really care for them, with their effeminate ways. Not that he'd ever admit it, but he had mistaken Natsuki for a girl the first time they met. Petite, with brown hair and blue eyes, and a soft voice to match. He'd even been skeptical up until he accidently walked in on Natsuki taking a shower in the morning after he pulled an all nighter. It wasn't anything to write home about, but it was there.

By the time Tetsu pulled himself out of his thoughts, Natsuki was in the kitchen washing his mug. Before he could react, the teen had scooped up his bag, wished him a good night, and disappeared into his room.

"Night," Tetsu mumbled before turning back to the editorial work he had been finishing up.

* * *

 _ohhhh boi_

 _boi_

 _have I got a story for you_

 _so I got an xbox and was finally able to buy Fabel II as well as Borderlands 2 (I played and finished the 1st for each game at a cousin's house) and I have sunk like 10s of hours within a few days (for fable since I suck at 1st person shooters but boy do I try)_

 _anyway how was that chapter huh_

 _I tried (emphasis on tried) to stay away from dialogue this time to give more context for Natsuki/Ruri's emotions. She's going through a tough time right now. And I wanted to be able to convey that. Also how meta was that 1st paragraph huh? did I do good_

 _also I tweaked chapter 3 to be a little better so if you're interested in spotting the changes, go ahead and check it out_

 _VOCAB LESSON!_

 _ **genkan** : the little area/entryway where the front door is (it's before the step going into the house) and is where you place your shoes (you take off your outdoor shoes and leave them there and put on some indoor slippers)_

 _ **okama** : generally used for either gays, drag queens, or transgenders (or you know, the really hairy dudes with lots of make up and full lips that wear dresses and talk super effeminately that have the stereotype of working in gay bars that you see in manga; a fairly well-known example of this stereotype is from One Piece on Kamabakka Kingdom) fun fact, this term apparently originated during the Edo period (1603-1868) as slang for "anus"_

 ** _NEXT TIME: A MAN'S TRIAL_**

 ** _DFTBA! :)_**


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